Falling Down
by Hana Noir
Summary: *Sequel to Girls' Day Out* Piccolo and Kyrie's relationship is crumbling and the menace they've been warned of appears at last!! *Part 10 now up!*
1. Downward Spiral

Falling Down

Sequel to "Girls' Day Out"

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Kyrie landed easily on the well manicured grass that surrounded the large dome that was Capsule Corp. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell, barely noticing that all the lights in the building were out. Minutes ticked by as she waited numbly for someone to answer. Finally, a light came on above the door, casting a long shadow out behind her. 

The door was snatched open by an irate Bulma, who was dressed in a comfortably ratty green housecoat. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—" she started to bellow, only to break off at the sight of the pale girl on her doorstep. "Kyrie??" She opened the door wider, beckoning her into the warm house. "Are you okay?" she asked as she closed the door, shivering as a last breath of wind snaked past its protection. 

Kyrie appeared to have taken no notice of the chill outside. She was dressed only in a pair of cutoff jeans and a white cotton t-shirt. Light tennis shoes were on her feet but she seemed to have forgotten socks. "I forgot my things here," she said dully. Her eyes were shadowed by more than the dim light in the corridor and Bulma was rather worried. She had thought that Kyrie would have gotten better over the last two days, but she actually seemed worse. 

Bulma led her down the hallway to the room that she had left her things in and opened the door. "Mom put your things away," she said with a bit of a grin. "She didn't want them to get all wrinkled."

"It won't take me long," Kyrie said, opening the closet. "I'll just throw them back in the bags and I'll be gone."

"Gone?!" Bulma asked, aghast at the idea. "It's almost two in the morning and you look beat. You're spending the night!"

A ghost of a smile pulled at Kyrie's lips. "I think it would be best if I didn't stay, Bulma."

Bulma planted her hands on her hips, advancing on the younger woman. "And I say you're not going anywhere. If I let you leave in your condition, I'd worry about you all night." Kyrie hesitated, unsure how to react to Bulma's obvious concern. "Come over here," Bulma said, taking Kyrie by the arm and leading her to the bed. "Sit down." The two sat down on the bed, one frowning, the other expressionless. "Now, tell me what went wrong."

Kyrie blinked, and for a moment she wondered if Bulma had esper abilities she hadn't mentioned. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" she asked, falling far short of the casual tone she was going for. 

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You show up here, at TWO a.m. looking like death warmed over and I'm supposed to think that all is right in the world? Sorry, I wasn't born yesterday, you know." Her face grew softer and she touched Kyrie's hand lightly. "I told you once that I'd like to help you. And you look like you could use a friend." 

Kyrie stared at Bulma, unable to swallow past the huge lump in her throat. Her breath hitched and she struggled for the hard won control she had used as a shield all her life. But the expression in Bulma's blue eyes had it impossible and before she knew it, she was spilling her life story to an almost unknown woman. 

Bulma's eyes filled with tears as Kyrie spoke, unable to hide her horror at the girl's story. A smoldering fury that had been burning within her ever since she had learned of Dr. Gero's experiments burst into full flame and she fisted her hands in the thick comforter covering the bed. How DARE such things be going on in defiance of the stand the scientific community had taken on such radical experimentation?? She resolved to speak to her father first thing in the morning. And once she got into the office, she was going to be making some calls. There were going to be some MIGHTY sore government officials by the time she was through with them!! In the mean time, however…

"Kyrie, I'm so sorry this happened to you," she said softly, reaching out to embrace her gently. Kyrie's dry eyes grew wide and she stiffened slightly. She wasn't used to being touched like this. No-one had ever reached out to her with such warmth and sympathy. Her breathing became erratic and before she knew what had happened, she was weeping quietly onto the shoulder of Bulma's terry cloth robe. "Shhh…" Bulma said, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, I promise."

Kyrie struggled to control herself, trying to stop the tears that still wanted to fall. She straightened up, pulling away from Bulma. Smiling slightly, Bulma let her go, watching as she rebuilt the mental walls around herself. "Thank you, Bulma," she said softly. 

"I only have one more question, then I'll let you get some sleep," she said, her smile fading a bit. "Why aren't you at the Tenka with Piccolo?"

The hurt that she had tried to bury reared its head and the color drained from her cheeks again. "I – I just felt like I had to leave. Piccolo… Piccolo's closed himself off from me…" Her voice faded to a barely audible whisper. "I don't know what he wants from me… but I do know that he's killing me emotionally."

Bulma ground her teeth, her anger spilling over onto Piccolo's thick head. _I hope he shows up here,_ she thought, more than willing to throw something at him right now. She stood suddenly, startling Kyrie. "Tomorrow, we'll get started on the encryption on those files of yours," she said briskly, pulling back the warm blankets on the bed. "Right now, you need a bit of sleep. You still look tired. And there'll be a nice big breakfast waiting for you when you wake up." A bit bemused, Kyrie allowed Bulma to tuck her into the bed like a sleepy child. "If you need anything, I'm right down the hall." Bulma gave her one last smile and flicked off the light switch, pulling the door closed behind her. Surprisingly, she didn't have any trouble going to sleep.

*******

Piccolo's fangs were bared in a vicious snarl as he watched the towering dinosaur gallumphing at him with its jaws spread wide. He's spent most of the day antagonizing the lumbering T-Rex and it had finally gotten angry enough to charge him. He dodged the gaping, tooth-lined maw and delivered a stunning kick to the back of its thick skull. The massive animal stumbled, shaking its head as it turned to run at him again. 

A small ki ball aimed at its foot caused the beast to stumble again, this time falling over with an earth shaking boom. The animal tried to regain its stance, its stubby arms not much use in this task. Piccolo spat to the side, turning to leave, rising into the air. A fetid breath of warm air across his back was his only warning. 

He dodged to the left instinctively, dagger sharp teeth snapping shut where he had been only seconds before. A sharp tug on his shining white cloak made him realize that the creature had snagged it. He pulled free, leaving his cape to dangle from the jaws of a smaller T-Rex that was standing protectively next to the one still down on the ground. _A female_, he thought in disgust as it mauled his cape, _the male's mate most likely._ He began to build a ki ball, intending to throw it at the female, when she nuzzled the male, a rumbling croon urging him to rise. Piccolo paused, holding his glowing weapon, watching the dinosaurs with reluctant fascination. 

The male redoubled his efforts to stand, managing to get to his feet. With an enraged bellow, he snapped up at the hovering Namek. Piccolo tossed the ki ball at the male, who let out a shriek of pain, staggering backwards. The female roared with rage, torn between assisting her injured mate and attacking the thing that had hurt him. She finally decided to turn to her mate, rubbing her head against him, that rumbling croon rising from her throat again. Watching the dinosaurs, Piccolo felt that familiar twinge in his chest, the one he always got when Kyrie was around. 

"Dammit…" he growled, shooting up into the bright blue sky above, losing all desire to aggravate the T-Rexes any further. As the warm wind rushed past his face, he relented enough to relax the barrier blocking him from telepathic contact. To his surprise, she didn't immediately contact him. Someone else did, however. 

__

Piccolo! Dende's urgent voice hit him with the force of a sledgehammer between the eyes and he slowed, shaking his head.

__

Damn, Dende, he shot back, _tone it down some!! What's wrong?_

__

Several things, the young deity replied, moderating his mental voice. _Where are you?_

Somewhere to the far west of the Tenka, Piccolo answered, picking up speed again. _In the desert. What's the problem?_

There was an unexpected meteor shower two nights ago. And Kyrie… Dende hesitated, not sure how to bring it up.

__

What about Kyrie?? Piccolo growled, an icy ball of dread knotting up his stomach. 

__

She's gone, Dende said soberly_. She left two nights ago. She's been staying at Capsule Corp. with Bulma. _

Piccolo ground his teeth, his anger returning. Two nights ago, she'd been ready to promise him the world and now she was gone? _To hell with all the emotional games,_ he thought bitterly. _I'm fed up with trying to figure it all out. If she wants something, she can damn well come to me…_

*******

On an isolated prairie, an old man watched as his cattle milled around anxiously. They seemed to be avoiding a hole in the ground, lowing and swinging their heads in distress. He swung down out of the saddle, cautiously approaching the small, seared crater, a long stick in his hand. All that was there was a pitted chunk of rock. Remembering the spectacular meteor shower that he had seen several nights ago, he pulled off the flannel shirt that covered his plain cotton undershirt and reached for the meteorite. _Maybe one of those universities might pay something for it,_ he thought with a touch of gleeful greed. It'd been a hard year, a little something extra wouldn't go amiss. 

His cloth wrapped hand reached for the rock, and a cold chill swept over him, causing him to stumble. He caught himself, his bare hand landing flat on the surface of the stone. As soon as his flesh made contact, the old man screamed, feeling like a thousand razor blades were shredding his brain. He screamed until his throat was burning and raw. The nearby cattle, unnerved by the sounds of human suffering, stampeded away, mooing and bawling in terror. 

Suddenly, the screams cut off, and high above, Dende, Earth's Kami, shuddered as a human life abruptly ended. 


	2. The More Things Change...

Falling Down – Part Two

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Kyrie stared down at the files on the screen before her, making occasional notes on the pad in her lap. It had only taken Bulma a few hours to gain access to the encrypted files on her laptop. She has to attend to some matters in her office, leaving Kyrie to go over the files. The genetic engineering details were beyond her grasp, so she put those aside for Bulma and her father to go over and contented herself with reading the reports and workups in some of the other files. 

Most of them were pretty cut and dried, but there was one that almost brought her to tears. It had been written by a Dr. Christa Swanson, a woman she remembered vaguely. She had been transferred to another department when Kyrie was about six years old. Dr. Swanson had been nice to her, a pretty lady with long blonde hair and kind brown eyes, sneaking treats to her from time to time. She'd even sat with her one night when she burned with a severe fever brought on by one of the injections she had been given from time to time. 

Kyrie closed her eyes, focusing on that particular pain blurred memory, sharpening the details until she could hear the song that the woman had sung to her as she burned with the fever.

__

In the arms of the angel, far away from here

From this dark cold motel room 

And the endlessness that you feel

We were born from the wreckage

Of your silent reveries 

You're in the arms of the angel

May you find some comfort here…

She didn't even realize that she had been softly singing until the voice from the door startled her. "Kyrie? Are you okay?" Her eyes flew open to see Lunch standing in the doorway, staring at her uncertainly. "You're crying?" 

"What?" She reached up to find that her cheeks were wet with tears. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said hastily, wiping her face with a tissue from the box on the desk. "I was thinking…"

Lunch leaned against the doorframe, a small frown pulling at her lips. "About Piccolo?"

Kyrie flinched slightly at the sound of his name, but shook her head. "A childhood memory. Someone who was very nice to me once." 

Lunch's usual smile returned, and she nodded. "Bulma sent me to find you. Everyone's in the pool room. She wanted to introduce you."   


Kyrie wasn't in any sort of mood for a party but from things that had been said on various occasions, she knew that CC was sort of an informal gathering place for the group. She ran a hand through her short hair, and wiped at her eyes one last time. She closed her laptop and stood, setting her notes aside. "Okay."

*******

Bulma waved as Lunch and Kyrie entered the large, glass enclosed pool area. The moist warmth had Kyrie pulling off her jacket and the long sleeved button front shirt she had been wearing. A short man with black stubbly hair was standing next to a smoking bar-be-que grill accepting various items from a pig standing behind him. A gorgeous, obviously pregnant blonde was stretched out in a lounger next to the pool, eyeing the newcomers from behind a pair of dark glasses. The only other people Kyrie recognized were Tien and Chau-tzu, who were in an animated discussion with a sharply dressed man with dark hair and a scar on his cheek. 

Bulma met them as they crossed the patio, smiling brightly. "It's not exactly cookout weather, but everyone showed up and I thought it was a shame to waste the pool house. Do you swim?" she asked Kyrie, who merely nodded. "There are spare suits in the changing room," she continued, pointing to the door across the pool. "Just watch out for Master Roshi if you decide to swim." She glanced around, but didn't see the old pervert anywhere. "Let me introduce you." She took Kyrie around, letting her meet each of her old friends. 

"Pleased to meet you," Yamucha said with a charming grin, holding her hand a little longer than she liked. She tried to be casual about pulling back, muttering something about swimming before making a hasty retreat to the changing rooms. She looked over the suits hanging up there and found one that wasn't too revealing, quickly changing and draping a large towel around herself.

She hoped Bulma's friends didn't think she was being stuck up, but she wasn't in a mood for much socializing. She blushed slightly when Yamucha let out a playful whistle when she dropped the towel on an empty lounger. The shimmering silver suit was a one piece only by the virtue of the ties on the sides. It left her stomach bare, her defined abs rippling as she moved. The racerback style top held her securely though and she didn't have to worry about jiggling too much if she decided to do any diving. The bottom was cut high on the hips, but fortunately it wasn't a thong. She shuddered at the idea and dove cleanly into the pool. The water was a cool contrast to the humid room and she floated idly, letting it soothe her.

Roshi's eyes widened when the attractive brunette emerged from the changing rooms. He almost popped a nosebleed when she dropped her towel and moved to stand next to the pool. He bit back an appreciative groan when she dove into the glistening blue water. He was ready to fall on his knees and thank Kami that he had come when he saw Yamucha heading for the changing rooms as well. Roshi scowled, just knowing that Yamucha was going to hit on her. Life was truly unfair sometime, he thought sadly, turning back to his magazine.

*******

Piccolo sighed yet again. It had been four days since he had left Kyrie sleeping in the wide bed in what had been her room at the Tenka. In that time he had been unable to meditate and his sparring sessions had become nothing but a gratuitous beating that he inflicted upon himself. He was especially getting fed up with the pitying looks that Dende and Popo kept giving him when they thought he wasn't looking_. I'll just go and check up on her, _he thought, trying to fool himself. _She'll never know I was there…_

Minutes later, he found himself hovering over Capsule Corp, staring down at the glass covered dome that enclosed the huge pool. His inhumanly sharp eyesight could see everything below quite clearly and he didn't like what he saw at all. Kyrie was in the pool, a poor excuse for a swimsuit barely covering her body. Yamucha was in the pool as well, chatting with her quite familiarly. Piccolo ground his teeth at the sight. Where did that musclehead get off trying to hit on HIS mate?!? He shook his head, trying to cool his anger. 

__

She's not my mate, he reminded himself furiously. _ I never asked her for a commitment. She's free to do whatever she wants, and with who she wants. _ The thought made his chest feel like the world's largest clamp was tightening around it, making his heart tremble. Nonetheless he remained there, hovering over the building like an airborne voyeur until the party broke up and everyone went their separate ways. 

Mentally castigating himself for his foolish behavior, he soared back to the Tenka. To his surprise, Dende was waiting, an anxious look on his face. "Piccolo," he said, his voice agitated, "I'm glad you're back. I think the Kurukon's on earth!"

Piccolo's frown deepened as he stared at the young deity. "What? When??" he barked, his spine stiffening.

"There was a small meteor shower," Dende said, pacing anxiously. "About four nights ago. Two days after that, an old man in the western area died. I wasn't sure at the time, but there was something strange about it. A young woman just died about an hour ago, in the same manner. I've never sensed anything like it…" His voice trailed off as the uneasiness made him shudder. He glanced up at Piccolo for his reaction. 

"Where were the deaths?" Piccolo asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at the highly polished tile.

"The western area," Dende replied, wringing his hands agitatedly. 

"Stop that," Piccolo snapped, giving him a curt look. "I'll go and look around. Call me if anything happens." He took to the air again, the imminent threat pushing his personal problems to the back of his mind for the time being. 

*******

Kyrie and Bulma had turned over the files containing the genetic engineering details to Dr. Briefs. Bulma had admitted that the complex genetic data was beyond her limited knowledge and had suggested her father might be able to help. Fortunately, Dr. Briefs was between research projects and had eagerly accepted the challenge. 

Kyrie spent most of her time helping Bulma in the lab. She had a limited grasp of mechanics, but proved to be an exceptional student. Bulma had been delighted with her new friend's prowess and had been more than willing to teach her. Bulma's friendship warmed Kyrie's heart but she missed Piccolo with an almost physical ache. 

****

"Woman!!!"

The two women flinched at the sound of Vegeta's voice bellowing down the hallway. Bulma sighed and glanced over at Kyrie. "I'll jan-ken-pon you to see who fixes it this time." Kyrie nodded, a slight grin pulling at her mouth. "And no cheating," Bulma added, shaking a finger at her. 

"As if," Kyrie said with a snort. "On three." The both raised a fist in the air. "One, two three!" She extended her first two fingers, while Bulma held her fist clenched.

"Ha!! Rock breaks scissors!!" Bulma crowed in delight. "You get to fix it!" 

Kyrie grinned, picking up her jacket and a loaded tool belt. "He's probably just tripped the overload circuit again," she said wryly. "But next time, you get to fix it." Bulma nodded, her soldering iron posed over a delicate wire.

Kyrie shrugged into her jacket as she strode down the corridor leading from the labs to the living area. Buckling the tool belt around her slim waist, she placed her hand against the touchplate for admittance into the Briefs' living area. The reinforced door slid open and she swung into the living area.

"Hello, Kyrie dear!" Mrs. Briefs said cheerfully as she passed the family room. The perky blonde was kneeling on the floor, playing a game of pattycake with her grandson. "I do believe that Vegeta is having some problems with his machine again."

"I know," she said smiling back. "I'm on my way to fix it." She shivered when the frigid wind outside blew straight into her face, but she closed the door behind her and marched resolutely toward the gravity chamber. Vegeta was standing in the doorway, a disgusted look on his face.

"It's broken again," he growled, not bothering to waste time with social pleasantries. 

"Nice to see you too," Kyrie replied, stepping into the chamber and heading for the control computer in the corner. She popped off the access panel, wrinkling her nose at the smell of scorched electronics. Sure enough, the overload circuit was ruined. She stretched out on her back, reaching in to pull out the fried chip. Tossing it aside, she pulled a duplicate out of one of the compartments on the belt and jimmied it back into place. The generators whirred to life and the gravity pressure increased. 

Kyrie sat up with a slight grunt, raising her ki to compensate for the higher gravity. "There you go," she said, picking up the ruined chip as she pushed to her feet. Vegeta merely grunted and nodded slightly. She left the chamber, leaning against the outer wall to sigh heavily and wipe beads of sweat from her forehead. The gravity must have been higher than she had thought. She started to push off the wall when the sound of a smooth car engine caught her attention. Curious, she hitched up the waistband of her baggy jeans, scowling as she realized that she had lost more weight. Shrugging slightly, she walked around the curve of the wall to see who was here.

Yamucha was sliding out of the driver's seat of his sporty black convertible when he saw Kyrie come around the side of the building. Grinning, he tugged at his jacket, making sure it was hanging perfectly and reached for the small bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat. He waved, making sure she saw him and his grin grew even wider as she waved back. "Hi!" 

"Oh. Hey, Yamucha," she said, smiling politely. He strolled over to her, one hand behind his back. She eyed him warily as he approached, wondering what he was up to.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Yamucha said, presenting the flowers with a flourish and a toothpaste ad bright smile. Kyrie blinked, staring at the floral arrangement with no small amount of confusion. What was he giving her flowers for, she wondered. Was today some sort of holiday she didn't know about? 

"uh… Thanks, I guess," she said as he offered the flowers to her again. Now that she was holding the bouquet, he seemed to take that as some sort of approval. 

"I was wondering," he said, placing a hand on her arm and leaning closer. "if maybe you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He smiled again. "Maybe a movie or dancing, whichever you prefer, afterwards?"

Kyrie's mouth fell open. He was asking her out?!? What the hell?? What was she supposed to say now??? His arm was sliding around her shoulders and her brain was numb with shock. Before she could gather her wits and come up with some sort of reply, he was flying across the yard, crashing into the brick wall surrounding the property with bone crushing force. She turned, gasping as a massive ki washed over her. 

****

"PICCOLO!!!"

*******

(Author's Note: Don't want anyone to think I'm bashing Yamucha. He's not my favorite character, but I've really got nothing against him. ^_^; He was the only single Z character left, besides Roshi or Yajirobe, and I KNOW no-one wanted to see either of them hitting on anyone!!

Also, the lyrics used earlier are from Angel by Sarah McLachlan. Not mine anymore than the DBZ gang are!! ^_^ Ja, minna!)


	3. Crumbling Lives

Falling Down – Part Three

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

The last three days had been both physically and mentally exhausting for Piccolo. He had spent the entire time going over the western area with the proverbial fine toothed comb. He had been on edge the entire time, unsure what he was looking for, but halfway expecting something to attack during an unguarded moment. The tension had been draining, and he had only relented when Dende had asked him to come back.

Teleporting was as tiresome as flying so he teleported half the distance and cruised the rest of the way. Before he realized where he was going, he was directly over Capsule Corp. His eyes were dry and heavy from the constant wind and he paused, hovering over the huge domed building. He could sense Vegeta's ki roiling from the gravity room, but not at any level consistent with training. Kyrie's ki was evident as well, moving through the building. And… He frowned, glancing toward the city. Yamucha's ki was approaching Capsule Corps from that direction. 

The image of Kyrie and Yamucha in the pool rose to plague his mind again. He had tried to concentrate on the search for the Kurukon, but the nagging doubts and barely acknowledged fears had been in the back of his consciousness the entire time. He was unaccustomed to such thoughts and he didn't know how to deal with them, so he pushed them aside instead of facing them. The convoluted tangle of emotions had become a time bomb in the recesses of his psyche, waiting for the right moment to explode. 

He crossed his arms over his chest, watching the building. He actually flinched when Kyrie walked out of the building, heading for Vegeta's gravity room. _She's lost weight,_ was his immediate observation. _Doesn't look like she's been sleeping well either…_ His lips curled back in a snarl when she paused to greet Vegeta, and then entered the gravity room. The dour Saiyan warrior followed her in and Piccolo's temper rose, remembering the comments Vegeta had made about Kyrie once before. 

He relaxed fractionally when she came out only minutes later, the door sliding shut behind her. Motion distracted him slightly and he looked over to see Yamucha's car pulling in. His eyes narrowed as Kyrie walked around the building to meet him. From up above he could see the bundle of flowers that Yamucha had hidden as he got out of the car. The more he watched, the angrier he grew. Seething, his ki began to dance around him, glowing like molten lava. A deep, feral growl rose in his chest when Yamucha gave Kyrie the flowers, increasing in volume when he touched her arm. He was in motion by the time Yamucha draped his arm around Kyrie's shoulders, lost to all reason.

The force of his punch was enough to pulverize granite and it sent Yamucha right into the brick wall about thirty feet behind him. Kyrie's horrified voice only sent his fury climbing. His only thought was to completely annihilate the man who had had the nerve to actually touch his mate. 

Kyrie stared at Piccolo, beyond terror as he advanced on Yamucha's prone body. She had NEVER seen anything like the sight that had met her eyes when she had turned around. Piccolo's eyes were blood red and narrowed in fury. Veins stood out all over his body and his ki was as red as his eyes. The sheer force of his energy was almost enough to knock her to her knees. 

"Piccolo!!!" she screamed again, trying to penetrate his anger. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were cutting into her palms, but she didn't notice. She lowered all her mental barriers and reached out to Piccolo, but the resulting mental slap was hard enough to make her fall. She gasped for the breath that had been knocked out of her and tried to regain her mental equilibrium, her head throbbing in agony. 

She looked up when a familiar ki approached to find Vegeta smirking down at her. "So, the Namek's finally flipped his turban, eh?" His cold, mirthless laugh gave her chills but she appealed to him anyway.

"Vegeta," she gasped, staggering to her feet, one hand braced against the solid wall of the CC dome. "Stop him, please…"

The Saiyan eyed her with dark amusement. "Not on your life, girl. The Namek is so far gone in blood fury he might be able to kill ME!" His smirk grew wider. "Besides, this should be fun to watch." Piccolo had reached Yamucha and grabbed the human warrior by his hair, pulling his limp body up. He began pummeling the man with his free hand, the sound of flesh on flesh echoing all around them. Every blow he landed, instead of dampening his anger, only seemed to increase it. 

Kyrie couldn't look away or close her eyes. Her heart was in her throat as she watched the only person she loved beat a defenseless human without mercy. Without thinking, she appealed to the only other person she thought could help. _DENDE!!!! Please… do something…_

Kyrie!!! Dende's anguished voice echoed in her head, making her wince_. I can't reach him. I've tried, but I can't get through the anger. You're going to have to distract him somehow!_

She nodded, fighting to control her turbulent emotions. Taking a deep breath, she powered up, the sudden force of her fiery ki making Vegeta rock back. She wasted no time, but rocketed straight for Piccolo. She grabbed him in a headlock, wrapping her legs around his waist as the force of her impact caused him to stumble. He dropped Yamucha, snarling as he reached over his shoulder for the foe on his back. Kyrie winced as his claws raked over her forearm until it was bleeding freely, but she kept up the pressure on his throat, hoping she could get him to pass out. 

Piccolo was too experienced a fighter to succumb to such a maneuver, even when enraged beyond reason. He shot into the air then flung himself, back first, at the ground below. Kyrie realized too late what he was doing and was trapped as he slammed into the dirt with considerable force. Her ki kept her from being hurt too badly, but the shock of the landing forced the air out of her lungs. Wheezing as she tried to remember how to breathe again, her air was cut off again by a large, strong hand that clamped around her neck. Spots began to appear in her field of vision and her eyes rolled back in her head. She fought to remain conscious, thought, concentrating on her goal. Her hands wrapped around Piccolo's wrist for support and she brought her heavy boots straight up into his chin. 

She cried out as air flooded her lungs and pain from the deep cuts on her neck brought tears to her eyes. Managing to stay upright as she landed, she stared at Piccolo as he snarled at her. "What's WRONG with you??" she screamed, pushing off at him, punching him squarely in the chest. He caught her in a crushing bear hug, making her bones creak in protest. **_"PICCOLO!!!"_** Her anguished cry was both physical and mental. His hold tightened, and she screamed hoarsely as she felt a rib snap. Seconds later, a second and third followed suit. Her breathing became labored as the sharp edges of bone punctured her lungs, causing them to fill with blood. Fighting for breath, she coughed harshly, bright red blood exploding from her mouth and splashing onto Piccolo's face. 

He blinked against the crimson liquid dripping in his eyes and dropped his opponent, one hand coming up to swipe at his face. The sight of the blood on his hand seemed to penetrate his rage and he shuddered, his entire body convulsing. Something akin to sanity began to trickle back to him and he shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to be obscuring his brain. He felt strangely unbalanced, the feeling not being helped by the awareness that Dende's mental voice was screaming at him.

__

Dammit, Dende, he snapped, his head throbbing in pain. _Will you shut up for a minute??_

Piccolo, you fool!! Dende's voice was harsher than he'd ever heard it, startling Piccolo in its intensity. A feminine scream from the house had his head snapping around, almost popping his neck. Bulma was staring at him in horror, her hands clasped over her mouth. 

__

What the hell?? he wondered, then a choking sound at his feet made him look down. For the first time in his life, he felt his stomach churn and he swallowed hard to keep from throwing up. Kyrie was sprawled at his feet, blood trickling from her lips and oozing from cuts on her body. Yamucha was lying closer to the building, his face a bloody ruin, barely alive. The blood drained from his head so quickly that his legs buckled and he landed heavily on his knees. He started to reach out to Kyrie only to see the blood covering his hand. "I – I – I – " he stammered, staring at his gory hands in disbelief. "I did this?!?"

"pic…co…lo…" Kyrie's voice snapped him out of his horrified reverie and his eyes found hers. "you…okay…?" His breath hitched when he realized that she was concerned for **him**!! He'd been within seconds of killing her and she was worried about him?!? The high pitched scream of a jet engine overhead made him wince and he glanced up to see Yajirobe bring his aircar down for a quick landing. 

The obese swordsman was struggling out of the vehicle before the canopy was even completely open. "I've got senzu beans!" he shouted as his foot caught and he fell to the ground with a dull thud. Bulma was running to help him up, grabbing the small pouch with the magical beans inside. 

Her hands were shaking so badly that she almost dropped them all before she extracted one. She pushed the pouch back to Yajirobe and sprinted to Yamucha's side, falling to her knees next to him. "Come on, Yamucha," she whispered, gently pushing the bean into his mouth. "Eat it, you can do it…" She watched anxiously as he managed to choke down the bean. His eyes flew open as his injuries, grievous though they had been, healed instantly. 

Yajirobe tossed the bag over to Piccolo, obviously not wanting to get too close. His hands shook almost as badly as Bulma's as he managed to grab one. "Kyrie…" he whispered, placing the senzu between her lips. She chewed the crunchy morsel and swallowed it as quickly as she could, then gasped harshly, her back arching as she took a full, deep breath. Piccolo quickly moved back as she struggled to sit up. He couldn't bring himself to touch her, knowing that he had done this to her. Yamucha was glaring at him balefully as he too sat up. 

"What happened, Piccolo?" Kyrie asked, her eyes filled with sadness. "Why??"

He shot to his feet, gasping for breath. "I – I don't know why… I don't…" He shook his head in denial, unable to comprehend what he had almost done. He turned his back to her, unable to even look at her. With no further words, he blasted off into the afternoon sky, completely missing the hand that she had been holding out to him. 

Yajirobe sidled over, actually offering a hand to help her to her feet. Her face was pale, but she accepted his assistance. "Thank you, Yajirobe," she said, giving him a wan smile. "And tell Korin thank you as well." The gruff swordsman nodded, blushing slightly. Kyrie turned to Yamucha, worry evident on her face.

"I'm fine," he said giving Bulma a wistful smile. The look on Bulma's face, however, was far from fine. Her face was red with fury and she was glaring at Vegeta, who had been watching the entire debacle while leaning against the side of the building.

"What?" he asked insolently, giving Bulma an annoyed look. That was all the impetus she needed. Trembling with fury, she marched right up to him, toe to toe. 

The smirk starting to pull at his lips was quickly erased when she slapped him as hard as she could. "You selfish son-of-a-bitch!!" she shouted. "You just stood there!! YOU JUST STOOD THERE!!!!" Bursting into tears, she fled into the house, sobbing as if her heart had just been broken. Kyrie felt an odd sympathy with Bulma at that moment as she glanced back over her shoulder in the direction that Piccolo had disappeared. 

*******

Somewhere to the west, an insatiable hunger was growing more urgent, as a mindless creature stalked its prey. A young couple, sitting on a blanket in a grassy meadow, were gazing up at the bright stars above, their bodies close together as they whispered of their plans for the future. They never even saw the thing that attacked them, rendering them instantly unconscious. They were the lucky ones. Others would not be so fortunate…

*******

(Author's Notes: Was it too OOC?? I'm undecided on that point at the moment. Hope you like this part, cause I'm not going to be able to update until next week! My cousin's getting married and I'll be out of town from Thurs. to late Sun. O.o I don't know if I can handle being away from my computer for that long!! Eep! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys (and gals! ^_~) are the best!!!)


	4. The World Keeps Turning

Falling Down – Part Four

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

__

Kyrie? The hesitant voice made her bolt up in the bed, her breath catching in her throat. Could it be…?? _It's Dende._ Her heart sank and she sagged back against her pillow.

__

Hello, Dende, she replied, wondering what he wanted from her. The last three days had been agonizingly quiet. Vegeta was sulking, avoiding Bulma. Bulma was spending all her time locked up in her lab, not speaking unless spoken to. Kyrie had occupied herself with the files on her computer, trying to stay out of everyone's way. 

__

I need your help, Dende said, sounding apologetic. _Can you come to the Tenka? It's very important._

__

Sure, she replied, throwing aside the blankets. _Give me a second to get dressed and I'll be on my way_. She dressed quickly, throwing on jeans and a warm sweater. The weather had been growing steadily colder over the last few days and she knew the flight to the Tenka would be chilly. She stopped in the kitchen to leave a note on the table. She didn't want anyone to worry, especially about her.

Bulma, 

Gone to the Tenka to see Dende. Be back soon.

Kyrie

She shrugged into her jacket before opening the front door. Her breath fogged the air in front of her face and she grinned slightly before taking to the air. The night was crisp and clear, lights from the cities below rivaling the lights from the stars above. Increasing her ki, she flew even faster, the scenery blurring around her. It took her only minutes to reach the Tenka.

Dende and Popo were waiting outside when she touched down, both solemn. Kyrie looked at Dende, the familiar cast of his features making her heart ache. To her great surprise, he threw his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. She swallowed hard, determined not to cry as she hugged him back.   


"We've missed you, Kyrie," he said finally, his young voice cracking as he looked up at her. Popo nodded in agreement. 

"I've missed you both, too," she replied, managing a smile. She hesitated, not wanting to ask, but unable to stop the words forcing their way out. "Have you… heard… or seen…" Her voice trailed off as they both shook their heads sadly. "Oh…"

Dende clasped her cold hand in both of his, trying to be comforting. "I asked you to come because of something very important, Kyrie. I hate to have to ask, but you're the only one that can do this." 

She nodded. "What do you need me to do, Dende?" He led her inside to the kitchen, watching as Popo scrambled to brew some warm tea. 

"The Kurukon has arrived," he said, clearly disturbed by the turn of events. "I can't sense it unless it kills, and the more it kills, the stronger it becomes. It first appeared in the west about ten days ago. It's been working its way east during that time. It's killed almost a dozen people in that time. Old, young, men, women, it's not discriminating. P-Piccolo," he hesitated when he said the name, peeking over at her. "he was looking for any signs of it, but he couldn't find anything. I'm hoping you'll have better luck. You can go into the towns and among the people unnoticed, whereas he couldn't." He snapped his fingers and a map fluttered to the tabletop. He pulled the paper to him and pointed to the towns circled. "These are where the attacks have happened." His finger traced the trail of the creature. "It seems to be heading in the direction of the Tenka itself," he said, worry creasing his face. "I have no idea why." He passed her the map and looked at her hopefully. "Will you help?"

She rolled up the map and tucked it inside her jacket. "Of course I will. I'll go back to CC and pack a bag. I also want to let Bulma know where I'm going." She smiled wryly. "She'll worry if I don't." She accepted a cup of tea from Popo and sipped, the hot tea making her feel a bit better. 

"Thank you, Kyrie," Dende said, obviously relieved by her acceptance. "If you need anything, call me. I'll be open to you."

She nodded, finishing her tea as quickly as manners would allow. _Being here hurts too much…_ she thought as she rose, offering Dende and Popo a small smile. The pair smiled back, their eyes sad however, as she left as quickly as she had arrived. 

*******

Hunger.

All it knew was hunger. 

The pangs it experienced were not the easily mollified cramps of physical hunger, but something much more severe. It hungered for the sweet life energy sustaining the creatures that occupied this planet. When it had first arrived, it had been a mindless, ravening creature, unaware of any needs other than the crippling hunger that burned its simple mind. After it had devoured its first, unsatisfying, victim, a spark of awareness had burned briefly, only to be extinguished by the resurgence of that overwhelming hunger. 

The second time it had fed had been much better. The creature had been young, full of life's energy and its mind had been easily consumed. The tidal wave of information had rekindled the spark, coaxing it into a flame and it had become aware of the teeming life surrounding him. The only ones it was interested in were the ones that called themselves 'humans'. Theirs was the brightest souls, the most intelligent minds. It decided to occupy the body it had recently drained and mingle among the 'humans'. 

It had discovered the fun of toying with its prey, taking energy slowly, breaking the mind until it surrendered all its secrets. And it began to sense things as well. Somewhere, off to the east was a soul more pure than any on the planet with a singularly unique intelligence. It dreamed of consuming that mind and soul, could almost taste the sweet, sweet spirit. It lusted as it dreamed... 

It also sensed several other strong energies that were of interest, and it was curious to see if they would be as delicious as the one to the east. There was one that seemed extremely bitter and it wasn't sure if it wanted to taste it or not. A second, far, far away that was spicy with emotion and somehow connected to the one that was moving in the same direction that it was headed. The third was fascinating in itself, almost as sweet as the one it lusted after but at the same time, possessing a curious streak of bitterness. 

It stirred slightly, turning over in its dark, liquid dreams. It dreamed of consuming those bright, gleaming spirits slowly, ever so slowly, savoring the slide of memories and feelings as they became a part of it own being for all time. But it knew how to be patient, it had much experience with waiting. Waiting only sharpened the hunger and the hunger was everything.

*******

It hadn't taken Kyrie long to pack, smiling away Bulma's anxiety and promising to check in at regular intervals. She shouldered her backpack and placed her new capsule case in her jacket pocket. Waving at her friends, she took to the skies, almost relieved to be on her own again. 

The tension in her shoulders and the now permanent knot in her stomach had both seemed to have relaxed a bit. She grinned at the irony. She felt more at ease chasing after a soul sucking parasite than she did with her friends. But in all honesty, she had felt smothered by the constant attention that Bulma's family had been lavishing her with. She just wasn't used to so many people who sincerely cared about her wellbeing. She was more comfortable with Piccolo's gruff way of caring…

Kyrie swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, breaking off her train of thought. Her mind instinctively shied away from any thoughts of Piccolo, knowing it would only upset her still precarious grasp on her emotions. She focused her attention on the ground below, opening her mind enough to pick up random thoughts from the people below. 

__

--such a jerk, I'll never go out with him again!

Buy those stocks, and I mean now! The value's—

--and then Barry said that Michelle—

--third person dead in the last week. No reason at all-- Kyrie froze, hovering, focusing on that one mental voice. It was a man and a very annoyed man at that. _They just seem to drop dead, that same horrible expression on their face. No, no trend that we can see, different ages, different genders. Not even the same race. No connections that we can find. _The harder she concentrated, the more became clear. The person speaking was a police officer. She quickly reached for the map Dende had given her, tracing the line of progression. Then she figured out where she was. 

"Hot damn!" she exclaimed, grinning at the town of Peppercorn, the next town in the Kurukon's projected path. The very same town she was now suspended over. Returning the map to her pocket, she drifted downward to investigate what seemed to be the Kurukon's new feeding ground. 

*******

Thousands of miles away, on the other side of the world, Piccolo, surrounded by snow as he meditated, broke out into a cold sweat. Wiping a hand across his clammy brow, he wondered what the hell was going on now.


	5. First Confrontation

Falling Down – Part Five

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Kyrie found Peppercorn to be a very nice little town. She had stopped into a small café for lunch, more for investigative purposes than any real desire to eat. The woman behind the counter had been a regular font of information, chatting blithely while Kyrie picked at the chef salad she had ordered. She told Kyrie all about her family, all of whom were residents of the town, the peccadilloes of the local administration, and anything else of interest. But what caught Kyrie's attention was when she spoke of the strange deaths that had occurred in the last week.

"—just the strangest thing I've ever heard of!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and tsk'ing as she wiped at the already spotless counter with a gleaming white dishcloth. "Found them poor kids dead as doornails, right there by the lake. No clue as to what happened to them, none at all!" 

Kyrie looked up, interest lighting her face. "You don't say?" she asked, sending mental urges for the woman to continue.

The waitress abandoned all pretenses of cleaning and leaned against the counter, nodding smartly. "Oh yeah, it's got a lot of people worked up. After all, perfectly healthy teenagers don't just drop dead for no reason. More than a few thought they'd been messin' around with drugs, but I knew both those kids. They weren't the type to go foolin' around with stuff like that." She paused, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. As there was no one else in the café, this was a bit overdone. "And further, I heard that they found Amos Slydell not two days before those kids were killed. Dead the same way. No one got too het up over him, after all, he was eighty if he was a day and had been feelin' a might poorly in the last few weeks."

"Really?" Kyrie asked, tucking a lock of rust colored hair behind her ear and leaning forward. She picked a slice of hard boiled egg from her salad and chewed thoughtfully as the woman continued speaking. She was listening on more than an audible level however, she was picking through the thoughts going across the woman's mind. She was visualizing the places where the bodies had been found and Kyrie was storing the information away for future use. Perhaps a trip to the local police station might be in order, she thought idly. 

The loud clanging of the cowbell hanging from the glass door made her jump, startled. A tall, dark haired man strode in, a battered cowboy hat dangling from his hand. The waitress grinned widely and moved to the other end of the counter. "Afternoon, Sheriff Dobson. Your usual?" He slid onto the empty stool and nodded, his eyes heavy.

Kyrie fought the instinctive nervousness she felt when around an agent of the government and sent a subtle mental probe toward his mind, hoping to find some useful information. What she found was a roil of anger, puzzlement, guilt and grief. She inhaled sharply when she caught the thought that the girl who had died three days earlier had been his niece. She withdrew as delicately as she could, a bit ashamed of having intruded on his private anguish. 

__

Get ahold of yourself, she thought ruthlessly. _If you can't find out where that thing is headed and what it's up to, this guy won't be the only grieving relative out there._ Steeling herself against the sympathetic emotional connection, she slid into his mind again. He was concentrating on nothing but the food in front of him, chewing mechanically, trying not to think about the sight of his niece and her boyfriend lying on icy cold slabs at the morgue. At least he had been able to spare his sister and brother in law that sight. 

Suddenly, he looked up from his plate and stared right at Kyrie. Startled, she jerked out of his mind and reflexively glanced at him. Had he sensed her probing? she wondered as she swallowed, trying to moisten her dry mouth. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her and she gave him a quick nod and turned her attention back to her salad. _Oh, please, don't notice me,_ she thought breathlessly as he stared at her, a frown beginning to wrinkle his high forehead. She concentrated on creating a mental image of herself as no one of interest, hoping to cloud his judgement long enough to escape without causing a scene. 

She tossed a handful of zenni onto the counter, nodding politely to the waitress as she slipped off of her stool and strolled casually toward the door. She felt as if there was an invisible target between her shoulderblades as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. Squinting against the sun's rays, she began walking in the direction of the lake that she had seen in the woman's mind. She sighed, thinking that she had made good her escape when a voice called out to her.

"Miss?" 

Kyrie's muscles tensed as she fought the urge to run and she turned to see the sheriff jogging in her direction. She gave him the most innocent grin she could muster, her stomach churning. "Yes?" She was impressed that her voice sounded level and calm.

The lanky man came to a halt in front of her, and held out his hand. A black backpack dangled by its straps. "You forgot this in the café, miss," he said, grinning slightly. 

Kyrie's eyes widened and her hand rose mechanically to take her pack from him. "Thanks," she said. "I can't believe I forgot my stuff." She felt like the most scatterbrained twit in the world.

Kyrie!! She blinked when Dende's mental voice popped into her head. _It's attacking again!! Nearby! Hurry, I'll guide you!_ She snatched her backpack and ran, the sheriff's hand barely missing her arm. She didn't even pause to consider how her actions would be interpreted. 

The sheriff was only startled for a second by her sudden flight. He gave chase, wondering what was going on. She was heading toward the town, rather than the outskirts where it would have been easier to hide. She was outdistancing him easily and he pushed himself after her, ignoring the stitch in his side. She seemed to be heading for the park in the center of town, a frantic look on her face.

Kyrie wasn't even aware of the sheriff's pursuit. Dende's frantic voice and the screams of mental distress from up ahead were filling her mind. There was a child nearby in extreme danger and the sounds spurred her to greater efforts. Her ki flared in a bright purple corona and she took flight, her feet leaving the ground in a need for more speed. 

When she went literally airborne, the sheriff skidded to a halt, eyes wide in disbelief. Seconds later, a piercing scream rang out from the park and he, along with several other townsfolk, ran for the sound. A loud explosion shook the ground and a plume of smoke curled up above the trees. They redoubled their efforts. 

Dobson, panting harshly, was the first to find the scene. The strange girl from the café was there already, a frightened, dirt smeared child clinging to her leg. A young woman was sprawled out on the ground behind the two, completely unmoving and a man, smoke rising from a burn on his back, was on the other side of the clearing. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE??" he bellowed as soon as he caught his breath.

Kyrie kept all of her attention trained on the man, determined to defend the child. She had been too late for the little girl's mother, but she had managed to knock the thing away from the child. "MAMA!" the girl wailed, going to her knees next to the woman. Sheriff Dobson knelt as well, checking the victim for a pulse. It was there, faint but steady. 

"Somebody call for the ambulance!" he called over his shoulder, rising and heading for the next victim. Kyrie moved so quickly that she was a blur, pushing him back. 

"Don't touch him," she said, her voice hard and cold. "He's not dead yet." 

"Lady," Dobson began. "I don't know who the hell you are or what you're playing at but—" He bit back a yelp as the man began to clamber to his feet. There was a smoking hole blown completely through him, but he was still rising, his blank, dead eyes rolling to focus on Kyrie.

"Sssssweeeet ooneee…" came an eerie, sibilant voice as a filthy hand rose to grasp at her. Revolted, she shook her head, taking a step back as she strengthened her mental shields against the powerful mind reaching out for her. 

The sheriff pulled out his service revolver and aimed it at the horror standing before them. He was aware of the townspeople behind him and he knew that he had to protect them. "Stop!" he shouted, taking careful aim. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

Kyrie would have laughed if she hadn't been concentrating so fiercely on her mental shields. Somehow, the creature had singled her out for her mental strength and it was taking all her concentration to block its persistent attacks. She groaned, raising her hands to her temples, as she sank to her knees. 

She had never felt anything like this before. Even Piccolo's painful mental attacks had been light compared to the waves of agony stabbing into her brain now. She muffled a sob as it broke through and concentrated on pushing it back. The Kurukon had breached her mental defenses as if they were smoke and fog. The crack of the gun barely registered, but the bullets had the effect of taking the creature's attention off of Kyrie for a few moments. She squinted up through tear filled eyes to see it closing in on the sheriff.

__

Dende!! I don't care what it takes, find Piccolo and tell him to get here NOW!!! she cried mentally as she pushed up to her feet. Without bothering to wait for a reply, she kicked the Kurukon in the side, tossing it away from the sheriff. "Run, you idiots!" she shouted at the gawking crowd. "Don't hang around and watch, just run!!" She gave the sheriff a push toward the now screaming child and went in search of the Kurukon. She had flung it into some bushes but evidently, it hadn't stayed there. She gritted her teeth against the throbbing in her head and followed the trail of debris it had left in its path. 

A hoarse scream from up ahead had her moving faster, ignoring the people running toward her. She pushed through them to reach what was evidently the center of the park. A large fountain was the centerpiece of the area, surrounded by little sitting areas and such. She skidded to a halt, eyes wide, staring at the body bobbing in the pool of water. 

She hopped the low wall, the chilly water soaking through her clothes and raising goosebumps everywhere. Extending her senses tentatively, she couldn't sense any life force in the body whatsoever. The water swirled around her thighs as she waded toward the floating corpse. She took a deep breath and grasped an arm, flipping it over. Whatever had been animating the man's body was gone, fled with the people who had ran past her most likely. 

"God DAMMIT!!" she cursed, bringing her fists down on the water and sputtering when it splashed her face. A large ki popped into being behind her and she turned, slipping and falling into the water. She landed on her behind, swallowing water as her head briefly went under. Gagging and retching, she made it to the side and looked up. Towering over her was the last person she wanted to see, but perversely it was also the only person who could help her. She took a deep shuddering breath and, unable to stop herself, broke out into a grin and threw her arms around him.

"Piccolo!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She was almost ready to pull away in defeat when she felt the weight of his arms around her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she savored the contact for a moment, then lifted her head and pulled away. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, his deep voice sending a chill down her spine. 

"Yeah," she said, smiling wryly "Just wet and pissed off. It was here, Piccolo. And it's strong." Noises from the people coming up the path drew her attention away from him and she pulled at his arm. "We should go. I think I've caused enough of a disturbance for one day."

"I'll meet you at the Tenka in a few minutes then," Piccolo said, glancing around. He wanted to take a closer look at the area, but without her distracting presence.

Kyrie rose into the air, then hesitated, hovering. "You promise?"

He gave her a slight smile, his obsidian eyes softening for a second. "I promise. Now go. Tell Dende what happened here."

"All right," Kyrie said, a little spark of hope warming her heart. She gave him a hesitant smile and disappeared with the faintest of pops. As soon as she disappeared, Piccolo's face resumed its serious cast and he telekinetically pulled the body out of the fountain. Crouching down next to it, he examined the corpse for anything out of the ordinary. He was slightly disappointed that nothing could be found. He took to the air only seconds before the sheriff and a group of armed men burst out onto the scene. 

He hovered for several seconds, watching them swarm over the area like ants onto a piece of candy, then turned in the direction of the Tenka. He would have been more careful about his path if he had noticed the blank eyes staring up at him with undisguised hunger. 


	6. First Step Back

Falling Down – Part Six

A Dragonball Z Fanfic

By Hana Noir

Kyrie's sudden appearance at the Tenka startled both Dende and Popo. They overcame their surprise quickly enough and ushered her inside, out of the biting cold. The sky was gray and heavy, indicating that snow was on the way and the sun was setting, driving the temperature even lower. The chill of the wind alone was not responsible for Kyrie's shivering, though, and she was willing enough to let Dende and Popo fuss over her. 

Dende was worried by the pallor of her face and the fine tremors that shook her slender frame. He nodded when Popo suggested tea and kept Kyrie's cold hands clasped in his own as they sat down in the warm, cozy kitchen. "What happened, Kyrie?" he asked anxiously, rubbing her hands gently. "I lost track of you when you neared the Kurukon. Somehow, the creature is able to block my perceptions."

Kyrie tried to focus on the questions, the pain behind her eyes making her head feel like it was about to crack. "It had attacked several people in Peppercorn over the last week," she began slowly, choosing her words carefully. He nodded, having have sensed it, but too briefly to take any action. "When you called me…" She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "It was in a park, attacking a woman, not much older than me…" She smiled slightly as Popo sat a warm cup of tea in front of her, and Dende released her hands so that she could pick it up. 

"She was alive," she said slowly, "but her mind, her soul, everything that made her _her_ was gone." Kyrie tightened her grip on the warm teacup and fought to calm herself. "She had a child, a little girl. That thing was about to do to the child what it had done to her mother. I stopped it, knocked it away…" She took a deep breath, the memory of what happened next still vivid. "It didn't run, didn't seem afraid of me. It—it spoke to me, Dende. It came after me. It only ran when it was outnumbered."

"It spoke to you?!" Dende asked in astonishment, leaning closer. "What did it say?"

Kyrie was saved from answering by the shrill ring of the cell phone in her jacket pocket. Knowing that only Bulma had the number, she pulled it out and answered. "Yes? Bulma, hello. No, I'm fine. Really, I'm okay. Oh, it was on the news? That's strange." She listened for a minute or two, nodding occasionally. "He did? Really. No, I'm at the Tenka. I hadn't planned on it. Just tell me, Bulma. I can't really come back to Capsule Corp. right now." She closed her eyes, wishing that her head would stop hurting for just a second so that she could focus. "No, I don't mind. You make it sound like the end of the world. Just tell me what your father found out." She fell silent as Bulma began speaking. 

Dende watched Kyrie, unable to hear with clarity what Bulma was saying. He didn't think it was good, whatever it was. Her face, already pale, had taken on an ashen hue that was making him afraid for her wellbeing. 

"I see," she finally said, standing so abruptly that she knocked over her chair. "It's okay, Bulma. Don't worry about me. I'll come in sometime soon and talk it over with your dad. Tell him thanks for me. Yeah, sure. You too. Bye." The cell phone fell to the tabletop with a clatter and she turned and walked out without another word. Popo and Dende exchanged a worried look, wondering if they should go after her. 

"What should we do, sir?" Popo asked, wringing his large hands together.

"I think we should see if Piccolo shows up," Dende said softly. "Maybe she'll speak to him about whatever has upset her so."

*******

Piccolo flew to the Tenka, rather than simply teleporting back. He had come to the realization during his meditations that Kyrie was a part of him and they were happier together than apart. He loved her. Enough to swallow his pride and talk to her. Her instinctive embrace when he appeared in the park had given him hope that he hadn't completely alienated her. She still cared for him, he was sure of that. 

He sighed. The first thing they needed to discuss was what they wanted out of their relationship. He wanted nothing more than to live his life with her, but what if she, like so many other human women, started desiring a home and a family? He couldn't give her that, no matter how much he might come to want to. He supposed, if she were willing, he could generate a child that they could raise together. But he didn't know if that would be enough for her. 

__

Quit borrowing trouble, he told himself. _She's already said once before that she's not interested in children._ He relaxed his mental defenses, wondering if perhaps she would sense him. To his surprise, he could sense her, totally unguarded, her mind swimming in sorrow and thoughts of self-hatred. A small, dark thought of suicide was growing stronger.

His fangs bared in a fierce snarl and he sped up, racing to where he could sense her presence. He'd be damned if he would let her give in when he'd finally gotten his head on straight. 

*******

Kyrie was in her favorite place, behind the main building, her forehead resting on her knees. Her eyes were strangely dry. She felt as though everything were falling down all around her, but she couldn't cry. A numbness had spread all throughout her body, making her feel disassociated. It would be so easy, whispered a small voice in the back of her mind, to just stand up and step off of the edge. It would all be over in a few minutes, she thought idly. It probably wouldn't even hurt. There wouldn't even be any of her freakish body left. Liquefied on impact. 

She stood, not even making a conscious decision, and took one step forward. 

*******

Piccolo's hand closed on thin air, as she literally slipped through his fingers. Cursing fervently, he jumped off the ledge after her. She had a small lead over him but by increasing his ki, he was able to overtake her. He hurtled past her, turning and slowing to come up under her. Stretching his arms out, she fell neatly into them. 

"Piccolo?" she gasped, opening her eyes and looking up at him. 

"What the HELL are you playing at?!?!" he snarled, his heart pounding in abject terror. "Have you lost your ever-loving mind?!?"

She turned her head away from the desperate fury in his dark eyes, unable to stand seeing his pain. "Just, just let me go, Piccolo. It would be for the best…"

"The best for whom?" he asked, trying to control his temper. He wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her silly or to shake her until she saw stars. 

"You don't want me anymore," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. She was tired, so tired of fighting with him. It was killing something inside of her the longer it went on. 

"I was a fool," he growled, his voice becoming gruff with restrained emotion. His arms tightened around her and he brought his face closer to hers, inhaling deeply of the unique scent that was hers alone. "Please, Kyrie, say you haven't given up on me." He took a deep breath, trying to settle the butterflies that seemed to have sprung to life in his stomach. "I love you, don't leave me."

Kyrie felt as though all the blood had left her head, strangely light headed and giddy all at once. "What did you say?" she gasped, turning to look at him for the first time since he had caught her. 

"I love you," Piccolo repeated, feeling as though a huge weight had been taken off of his chest. The rising color in her cheeks and the growing sparkle in her eyes were exactly what he had hoped to see. 

"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck with a strangled sound that was almost a sob. Her voice was muffled against his chest and her shoulders shook with repressed emotion, but she had to speak. "I – I thought that you didn't even want me anymore. And – and when Bulma called and told me what her father had found out… All I could think of, was that it would be better for everyone if I was just… gone."

What had Bulma's father found, he wondered, hugging her to him tightly. Whatever it was had upset her a great deal, but it would have to wait until after this mess with the Kurukon had been settled. And the Kurukon, he thought with a slight grin, would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for them. And he meant to make the most of it. "Promise me something," he asked suddenly, catching her attention. "Don't ever think of anything like this again. Suicide is not the answer, Kyrie." Surprised by the emotion in his voice, she nodded, agreeing. "I've missed you too," he whispered in her ear, making her shiver by the sudden change in mood. He caught the lobe of her ear between his sharp teeth, nibbling with great care, blowing softly against the damp trail left by his teeth. 

"Piccolo…" she sighed, her hands sliding up the back of his neck, caressing the sensitive skin. He kissed along the line of her jaw, sliding in to slant his mouth over hers. The kiss began softly, growing more passionate as she responded, opening her mouth to his invasion. He traced her lips with the point of his tongue, kindling a warmth in the pit of his stomach that spread outward as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing their bodies together. He stroked inside of her mouth, their tongues meeting and teasing each other. 

He pulled away first, resting his forehead against hers, both them gasping for breath. "I've been so lost without you," Kyrie said, her fingers tracing the curves of his ears. "Now, promise me something. Don't ever do this to me again. If something is wrong, talk to me. Don't shut me out, please. I don't think I could take this again."

Strong, lean hands pulled her shirt free of the waist of her jeans and slid up underneath both shirt and jacket. "It's hard for me to talk about what I'm feeling," Piccolo admitted, his nimble fingers finding the clasp of her bra and snapping open the tiny hooks. "I've never been good admitting to my feelings." He pressed a feather light kiss to the tip of her nose, forestalling any words she had. "But I promise to try. I won't leave you again, Kyrie." Her head fell back, eyes fluttering shut as his hands slid around to cup the soft mounds of her breasts. Her hands pushed at his turban, sending it tumbling away into the black night that surrounded them. 

"I've lain awake at night and wished for this," she confessed breathlessly as he touched her intimately. "I missed your touch." 

"Never again," he said, a rumble in his voice as he stared down into her eyes. They were drifting downward, a large grassy field stretching out below them. Piccolo kept his hold on Kyrie as they landed softly. 

Kyrie shivered as the tall grass waved against her bare skin. Her shirt had been lost somewhere in the skies above and she grasped Piccolo's tunic and began to tug it free of his trousers. "Wait," he said, humor in his voice as he pulled away to spread his cape out over the grass. He had barely finished when she tackled him, sending them both to the ground. "Impatient, aren't we?" he managed to gasp out before she silenced him with kisses. 


	7. Seeking Answers

Falling Down Part Seven

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Kyrie roused slowly, the sunlight bright against her eyes as her senses began to relay information to her. There was a warm, lightly scented breeze blowing over the top of the thick grass, making the plants sway in a graceful dance. A smile curved her lips upward as she closed her eyes, letting her other senses speak to her. Birds were twittering brightly overhead in the sky and in the trees. A large, warm body was pressed against her back, a powerful arm draped possessively across her waist. She brought her left hand up to touch firm, slightly rubbery skin and she traced her fingertips across the curve of Piccolo's forearm, noting the difference in texture between the pink and green areas. 

Her fingers continued down, past the wrist, tracing the long, almost graceful bones of his fingers. They twitched slightly, then spread to intertwine with her own. Her smile grew wider as a husky voice rumbled softly into her ear. "Good morning."

She finally opened her eyes, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Piccolo's sleep softened face. His features took on a boyishness that never failed to surprise her when he was asleep. That look lingered for a few moments after he woke, before his habitual shields fell into place. She loved that she was the only person to ever see him like that. "Morning," she replied, letting her head fall back against his shoulder. "Where are we?" she asked, not recognizing the area at all. 

"A place I used to come to," he answered. "It's summer here. I didn't think you'd like to sleep outside as cold as it was near the Tenka."

Kyrie chuckled. "Piccolo, last night I could have slept on a iceberg and not have noticed. I haven't slept that soundly in weeks." His arms tightened around her waist and she smiled. For a brief, wonderful second, all was right with her world. _If only it could stay this way,_ she thought. 

__

That's why we need times like this, Piccolo said mentally. _To hold on to when times are rough_.

Sometimes you make a lot of sense, she replied, sitting up and stretching her arms as high as they could go. Piccolo let her move away, knowing that she needed a bit of space. They were on intimate terms again, though the hurt of their separation was still fresh. He knew that she wouldn't go far, though. 

Unconscious of her nudity, Kyrie rose to her feet and looked out at the tall grass surrounding them. Piccolo propped up on his elbow and watched her as she stood there. He had never really noticed the anatomy of human females before but he knew that, by human standards, Kyrie had an attractive body. She looked a bit thinner than when he had last seen her, and he frowned slightly as he noticed the defined edges of her ribs. Her breasts didn't reflect the gaunt lines of the rest of her body, however, and a faint smirk pulled at his lips. 

She stretched again, rising to her toes, making all her joints pop. A cool breeze blew up, ruffling the fringe of shoulder length hair framing her face and making her shiver slightly. She retreated to the warmth of Piccolo's heavy cape and snuggled back up against him. "Where have you been all this time?" she asked softly, staring up into his onyx eyes. 

"Getting my head on straight," he replied, looking thoughtful. "Meditating and thinking mostly. I've never been a nice person, Kyrie. I don't have much use for the majority of the beings on this planet. I was perfectly content to live my life alone, bar the occasional visit from Gohan. You changed all that. You're the only person in the world I can't live without. I'm still uncomfortable with the depth of feeling I have for you."

She smiled slightly. "I think I can understand all that. After all, I'm much the same way. But there's more than what you've said."

Piccolo snorted, giving her a wry look. "You're too perceptive for your own good. I can't help but to wonder if some day you're going to want more than I can give you." His eyes were serious as he looked at her. "I can't give you a normal life. I'm not human." He hesitated, looking away, then took a deep breath to continue. "And you are only human. You're going to grow old and… eventually die." A choked sound made him glance back at her. She was staring at him, green eyes wide and stricken. To his surprise, she started laughing softly. Then her mirth turned hysterical and she pushed away from him, a keening wail rising to burst out of her. She fisted her hands in her hair and bent double, her spine bowed tautly. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted, grabbing her by the arms and shaking her sharply. The violent motion snapped her out of her fit and she sagged against him, whimpering. She managed to find her voice and attempted to explain. 

"Dr. – Dr. Briefs spoke to me, last night, before… before I left the Tenka," she began, trying to explain something she still didn't completely understand herself. "He's been working on the encrypted files I brought from the Facility. He… did some simulations with the data from my genetic workups. He's not really sure, this is only from the preliminary results, but… I'm completely changed from normal humans, Piccolo." She paused, not looking at him. "He doesn't think I'll ever be able to have children. My reproductive system doesn't work; he says I'm effectively sterile. Also… my cell structure is different. He's not sure what that means yet. He wants me to come in for some tests. Bulma's supposed to call me back today." A look of brief dismay crossed her face. "I think I lost my phone last night." 

"Don't worry about it," Piccolo said gruffly, pulling her against the hard wall of his chest. "It's not important. Cell structure is not what makes you special to me." She embraced him hesitantly, closing her eyes and trying to push aside the nauseated feeling in the pit of her stomach. She sighed and took a step back, severing the contact. Cupping her elbows in her hands, she looked around on the ground, the effort of looking for her clothing an excuse to move away. 

Piccolo refrained from a sigh of his own. He didn't really understand why she was so upset over her genetics, but he could tell that they were going to have to rebuild what little foundation their relationship had sat upon. Kyrie was oddly moody and her moods were easily communicated to him, even when she had her mental barriers up. That small display of hysterics had been only a sample of her erratic behavior. He watched her search for several minutes, a smirk on his face, before deciding to be nice. "You're not going to find them, you know."

Her head came up and she fixed him with a grim glare. "What did you do with my clothes?" 

"They're probably scattered all over creation by now," he replied, the smirk deepening into a smug grin. "We were pretty high up when they came off."

"Dammit," she griped, frowning. "Those clothes weren't cheap, and they were practically new too…" She trailed off as Piccolo snapped his fingers, and she was fully clothed. She blinked several times, an amused smile replacing the frown. "Doesn't matter how often you do that, I still think it's cool." She gave him a wry look. "But why is it that you can never manage to conjure up underwear?"

Piccolo couldn't help it; he laughed aloud. "Underwear serves no purpose. It's just extra work."

"Easy for you to say," Kyrie said, tongue in cheek. "You don't have breasts." She pantomimed a bouncing action at chest level, eyes dancing in amusement. Piccolo's eyes bugged out in a effort to control himself, but it was a losing battle. He snorted, then chuckled, finally bursting out into gut wrenching laughter. Kyrie watched him, grinning broadly. When he managed to stop, gasping for air, she caught his arm and smiled up at him. "I'm hungry. Feed me, Seymour."

Piccolo gave her an odd look, not getting the reference, but nodded. "The Tenka, then?"

"Yes," she said, frowning slightly as she remembered something. "I never did finish telling Dende about what happened yesterday." She shook her head in disbelief. "Was it only yesterday? It just doesn't seem possible that so much can happen in such a short amount of time." 

Piccolo slid an arm around her waist, bringing her back up against his front. "I'll teleport us there." She nodded, clearing her mind and relaxing against him. The transfer was almost instantaneous.

*******

Bulma chewed thoughtfully on the tip of her thumbnail, wishing for a cigarette. She had mostly given up smoking them when she and Vegeta had first started sleeping together. He had complained about the foul smell and the taste it left on her mouth, so she had, with more than a little reluctance, cut back on her daily consumption. Once she had learned of her pregnancy, it had been easy to quit altogether. But now, with the chill that existed between Vegeta and herself, and Trunks being weaned, the cravings were harder to ignore. And it didn't help, she thought, staring crossly at the littered ashtray on the desk corner, that her father smoked like an engine. And didn't bother to empty the ashtray, either…

She sighed as she pulled up yet another of the files from Kyrie's laptop. The information both fascinated and revolted her. On the one hand, she was almost in awe at the sheer genius of the person who had modified the genetic codes to such a radical extent and produced such near miraculous results. But, she was also disgusted by the presumption and ego that had prompted one person to play God. She shook her head as she read slowly. Without even realizing it, her hand opened the desk drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. It was the force of habit that had her lighting up and inhaling. The sting of the smoke and the sudden rush of nicotine made her eyes water. 

Bulma exhaled gustily, noticing something in the progress report that had her leaning forward, taking another deep drag from her cigarette. "What the hell?" she muttered, scrolling back up the screen and rereading the section.

_There has been a new development with Subject. The genetic manipulation has _

resulted in an unforeseen speeding of the natural aging process. Subject aged 

normally enough until age eleven, when the unexpected onset of puberty triggered

massive hormonal changes. In only two months, Subject has become physically 

mature, her appearance that of a human female in her late teens. At my suggestion, 

Subject has been placed in cryogenic suspension until further testing of her genetic 

structure can be conducted. 

(Personal Note: I am loathe to order the termination of our only viable subject to

date, but if her sudden, rapid aging continues, than she will be of no use to our 

studies. Postmortem examinations may be helpful, in any event, all our work 

will not have been in vain. We are prepared to try again with another subject.)

Bulma's hands were shaking in anger at the callous tone of the notes in the doctor's journal. How dare he treat a living being this way!! She took several deep breaths and another calming drag on her cigarette and forced herself to continue reading. She couldn't help but to wonder how Kyrie had dealt with all this and kept a hold on her sanity. 

The com on her desk buzzed, making her yelp when her cigarette fell into her lap. Cursing loudly, she jumped up, swatting at her jeans with one hand, while fumbling for the intercom with the other. "Yes?" she asked, managing to stamp out the smoldering cigarette under her desk.

"Ms. Briefs?" came the voice of her unflappable executive assistant. Marge was a model of calm, collected serenity, the only person on the planet who didn't even blink an eye when Vegeta threw one of his royal fits. "Your father just called over. It was hard to understand him, he was speaking so quickly, but I think he wants you to come over to his lab."

Bulma blinked. What could her dad want? "Okay, Marge, thanks. I'll be leaving in a minute, then. Take messages for me if you would." She saved her work, shut down the computer and left through her private exit. When she reached the huge, warehouse sized room that was her father's lab/workshop, she found a most unusual sight. 

Dr. Briefs was dancing about the room, a sheaf of computer printouts in his hand. Bulma could see that some of the print was circled and hastily scribbled notes were in some of the margins. "Dad?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Bulma!!" Dr. Briefs skidded to a halt, grasping his startled daughter by the shoulders and doing a little jig. "I've figured it out!! This is most amazing, truly remarkable, I'm awestruck!!" He pulled her over to the nearest tabletop and spread out the papers. "I've just finished going over the preliminary genetic workups on your friend. Just look!!" He pointed to a section circled in bright green ink. Bulma obligingly examined the papers, but the complex coding and sequences were beyond her ken. Dr. Briefs waited expectantly, grinning hugely as he watched for a reaction.

"Uh… Dad?" Bulma asked finally, her face turning slightly pink. "What am I supposed to be looking at here?"

Dr. Briefs' face fell almost comically and he regarded his only child with something akin to pity. "I forgot, Bulma, dear, your knowledge of biology is a bit… sparse." He pulled the papers closer, arranging them tidily and gave her a smile. "How about I just explain it?"

Bulma eyed him with no small amount of loving annoyance. "Yes, Dad, why don't you?"


	8. Making Preparations

Falling Down Part Eight

A Dragonball Z fanfic

By Hana Noir

Bulma paced back and forth as she turned over the information in her mind. How to break the news to Kyrie? she wondered, running a hand through her hair. "Are you sure about that, Dad?" she asked, turning to look beseechingly at her father. 

Dr. Briefs calmly lit a cigarette and inhaled. "As sure as I can be using the simulations," he replied in a puff of smoke. "I need a viable tissue sample from Kyrie to run comparisons for accuracy. Just because it works on paper, doesn't mean that it'll work in reality." His eyes widened as Bulma snatched the cigarette from his hand and took a long drag. 

"I wish I could get my hands on the people responsible for this… this atrocity," Bulma growled, her hands twisting on an imaginary neck. "What kind of sick, delusional bastards do things like this to living beings??"

Dr. Briefs sighed and lit another cigarette. "I wish I knew, dear. It's not right, I know. But, there is some good from all of this." Bulma's eyes widened in disbelief. Dr. Briefs smiled slightly and nodded. "Some of the genetic data answers questions that I've been working on for the last few years. And I think I can use it in the research into genetic therapy we've been conducting. You know what we've been trying to achieve."

"I know, Dad," Bulma said, still frowning. "But it's irks me that Kyrie is the victim in all of this. She didn't ASK for any of this."

"How are you going to tell her?" Dr. Briefs asked.

"Ah, hell, Dad, I don't know. She's been such an emotional wreck since that… mess with Piccolo. I hope he shows up soon," Bulma ground out. "I've got a few choice words for him." She laughed then. "Then again, considering the state of my personal life, who'm I to comment on anyone else's?"

*******

Dende was waiting outside when Kyrie and Piccolo appeared at the Tenka. He smiled slightly and took silent note of the hesitant contact between the two. "Welcome back," he said with a wider smile. "You disappeared so abruptly, I was a bit concerned." 

Kyrie frowned for a second and then eyed Dende curiously. "Dende, I have a question for you." He nodded, and she continued. "Last night, when I left here, I was fully prepared to kill myself. Why didn't you know about my intentions?"

Dende's mouth fell open and his eyes filled with tears as he stared at her. "Oh, Kyrie…" he sighed. He held out a hand toward her and she grasped it in her own, giving him a slight smile. "I knew you were upset when you left, but I didn't realize…" He shook his head slightly and tried to think of how to word his answer. "Being Kami doesn't make me omnipotent, not by any means. I can see patterns emerging in events and I can influence people to react to those events. But I can't directly intervene, not without serious consequences. The people of Earth have to make their own choices, fulfill their own destinies. And another consideration is the sheer number of lives on this one planet. I can't watch everyone, all the time. Think of the earth as a beach, and the lives as grains of sand scattered all over. How hard do you think it would be to find just ONE grain of sand on that beach at any given time? Sure, you would eventually find it, but by then, would it matter? I have to concentrate on the bigger picture." He gestured at Piccolo. "That's why I ask Piccolo and the others for help from time to time. They can do more than I can on an individual level."

Kyrie nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand." A muted grinding sound startled them all and Kyrie clutched at her stomach, blushing. "Sorry!! I didn't realize how hungry I was!"

Dende laughed. "Come inside. Popo will be glad to fix you something, I'm sure." His smile slipped a bit and he added hesitantly. "And I want you to finish telling me about yesterday's encounter." 

"Of course," she said, following the younger Namek into the building, Piccolo trailing them silently.

They waited until Kyrie had eaten before mentioning anything about yesterday. She told them about what she had learned from the townspeople and of her encounter with the Kurukon. "It's strong already," she said grimly. "It plowed through my mental shields as if they weren't even there." She glanced sideways at Piccolo. "Even your mental attacks have never hurt that badly. If that sheriff hadn't fired his gun, I don't know what would have happened…." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"You said yesterday that it spoke to you," Dende reminded her. "What did it say?"

Kyrie's brow wrinkled as she frowned in confusion. "You know, that's the weirdest part," she replied. "It said, 'sweet one'. And I don't think it meant it in an endearing sense." 

Dende frowned as well, considering her word. Piccolo shook his head, his habitual frown deepening. "By the time I got there, the thing was long gone. Much as I hate to say it, we're forced to wait until it attacks again."

Kyrie nodded in agreement. "It was pure, blind luck that I came across it as soon as I did. For all I knew it could have skipped over Peppercorn or turned off in a different direction. I think we should—" The sound of an airplane's high pitched engines broke across their conversation; Piccolo and Dende both shuddered at the sound. 

"It's Tien, Chau-tzu and Lunch," Piccolo said, able to easily identify the familiar ki. He turned and walked out of the building to watch the small plane come in to land. Chau-tzu was the first to exit, floating gently to the surface of the Tenka. Tien waited, hovering next to the cockpit, to assist Lunch out of the vehicle. 

As soon as she was out of the plane, Lunch waved excitedly in the direction of the main building. Piccolo glanced over to see Kyrie standing at his side, her face slightly pale, but her smile warm and friendly. _Tien wants to talk about yesterday, _Kyrie told Piccolo. He looked slightly startled by her mental voice, but quickly recovered. _I'll ask Lunch if she wants to go and see Bulma. I need to speak to her anyway. And Lunch doesn't need to hear any of this…_

I would have gone with you, he replied, knowing what she was going to speak to Bulma about. _But you're right about Lunch. _

__

If I need you, I'll call you, she promised, touching his arm lightly. Then she moved past him and out to meet the other woman.

"Piccolo," Tien said with a sharp nod. "We need to talk."

The Namekseijin warrior nodded. "Dende's inside. Kyrie's going to ask Lunch to go with her to see Bulma."

The triclops looked relieved at the idea. "I didn't want her to come. She doesn't need to worry, but I also didn't want to leave her at home." Chau-tzu nodded in agreement. Tien then smiled wryly. "She insisted on coming, anyway."

"Kyrie!" Lunch called, waving at the younger woman as she approached. "I've been wanting to come and see you, but Tien said you were really busy." 

Kyrie smiled slightly. "Yeah, I've been helping Dende. I just got back yesterday." She glanced over her shoulder at the quiet warriors, then turned her attention to her friend. "Actually, I was just about to leave again." Lunch looked disappointed and Kyrie hastened to reassure her. "I have to go to Capsule Corp and talk to Bulma. Did you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Lunch said, nodding. "Want to take the plane? Tien and Chau-tzu can meet me at CC if they finish before we come back." Kyrie grinned and helped Lunch back into the cockpit. They waved at the men as they lifted off of the Tenka, then Lunch hit the engines and they roared off.

*******

Kyrie was lost in her thoughts as the hoverjet flew toward Capsule Corp. In a way, she wanted to know what Bulma and her father had found, but she was also afraid of what they had learned. What if the reality was worse than anything she could have imagined? She sighed and tightened her mental shields, not wanting Piccolo privy to her mental turmoil. But when she tried to block their link, she received the mental equivalent of a slap on the wrist. The slight shock made her gasp aloud. 

__

Don't even think about it, Piccolo informed her sternly. _Don't block me again. We had a deal, remember?_

I – I didn't want to distract you, she floundered._ I – I thought—_

We agreed not to shut each other out any more. Did we not?

We did, she thought, smiling slightly._ I won't do it again. _

__

Good. If you need me, I'll come, Piccolo said, their link fading into the mental background as his attention shifted focus. 

__

Okay… She relaxed fractionally and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes for the rest of the ride.

*******

Tien reversed one of the chairs and straddled it, all three eyes trained on Piccolo. "So, what happened? We sensed the ki yesterday. Did you find it?" Chau-tzu accepted a cup of tea from Popo, his round eyes wide with anxiety. 

"Kyrie did." Piccolo admitted with a frown. "It's strong, Tien, very strong. And not the kind of strength that can be fought physically either." He glanced at Chau-tzu. "We'll need all our mental training to get through this."

"Maybe we should speak with Korin again," Dende said, blinking. "Perhaps he can remember exactly how the espers defeated the first Kurukon."

"Good idea," Piccolo said. "I also need to speak to Vegeta." He grimaced in anticipation. "I don't know how much help he'll be, but short help is better than no help at all."

"Why don't you do that now?" Chau-tzu asked in his squeaky little voice. "Tien and I can go and speak to Korin while you're gone and meet you back here before Lunch and Kyrie get back." 

Piccolo nodded in agreement. "All right," he replied, pushing away from the door frame. "I'll try to bring Vegeta back with me. We can talk more then." With a swish of his cape, he strode through the door and disappeared. 


	9. Finding Answers

Falling Down Part Nine

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Kyrie was felt like her stomach was in shreds by the time Lunch touched down at Capsule Corp. They were greeted by the ever cheerful Mrs. Briefs, who ushered them inside for tea and cookies. 

"I'm afraid Bulma's out at the moment," the perky blonde said, passing Lunch a dainty cup of tea. "She and her father are in a meeting today with the company board of directors." She frowned slightly. "At least, I think that's what she said they were doing." She offered them perfectly baked cookies with a vacuous smile. Kyrie accepted one mechanically, nibbling for politeness' sake. 

Lunch and Mrs. Briefs were making small talk when a bloodcurdling scream rang out from deeper in the building. Kyrie jumped to her feet, reacting defensively, placing herself before the two other women. Harsh, panicked breathing and loud footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall. Peering carefully around the corner, Kyrie was startled when an older, heavyset woman plowed right into her. 

Staggering back, Kyrie caught the edge of the wall, her powerful, ki enforced grip cracking the heavy building material and actually ripping a chunk free. The other woman, sprawled out on the floor, stared at her in shock. "You're all a bunch of freaks!!" she shrieked, causing Kyrie to flinch slightly. "First that abnormal child, and now, now you!!" She scrambled to her feet, eyes wide. "What kind of circus sideshow is this??? Those… those bizarre experiments, a child that can push over heavy furniture, explosions from the outbuildings!!!" She glared hatefully at Kyrie. "And people that can break walls with their bare hands?? You're probably… probably not even human!!" 

Kyrie tried to swallow past the constriction in her chest, but couldn't speak. This woman was hitting too close to home. She shook her head, backing away, but the furious woman tenaciously followed. "What are you? Who are you? What's going on here??" A loud POP sounded; the woman's face went bone white and she almost fainted. Kyrie flinched instinctively when a large familiar hand was placed on her shoulder. 

"I think you need to leave, before you say another word," came a calm, deep voice. The physical contact was supportive, and Kyrie straightened, reaching up to grasp Piccolo's hand. 

"Especially before you open your fat mouth about MY son again, woman," growled a harsh, cold voice from behind the nanny. Her face was an alarming shade of pasty gray as she pushed past Piccolo and Kyrie and fled out the door. 

"Ignorant bitch," Vegeta spat, scowling fiercely as he came around the corner. A stocky toddler was clinging tightly to the leg of his pants, a smaller version of the scowl on his little face. The dour Saiyan glanced down at the child and casually kicked him off. "Stop hanging on me, brat." A sharp glance stopped the child from even crying. Persistent, he toddled over to Kyrie, holding his arms up.

"Wan' up," he said in a stern little voice. When that got no response, he changed tactics, his pale blue eyes filling with tears and his bottom lip trembling. "Wan' up, pweese?" Kyrie couldn't resist any more. Kneeling, she scooped up the little boy, surprised by how heavy he actually was. Trunks wrapped his slightly chubby arms around her neck and snuggled close, resting his head on her shoulder. "Nana mean. Nana yelled. Nana said bad words. I wan' Mama."

Helpless in the face of such an adorably precocious child, Kyrie melted. "It's all right, sweetie. Mama will be back soon. Why don't you stay with me 'til she comes back?" She glanced over at Vegeta. As the child's father, it was technically his decision. 

"Whatever," Vegeta said with a shrug. "Just keep him out of my way." He grimaced. "I'm sure you'll do a better job at it than that pathetically weak human cow." He jerked his head at Piccolo. "Coming, Namek? Or do you want to stay and have tea with the ladies?" he asked with a healthy dose of sugary sarcasm. Piccolo gave Kyrie a nod and walked past to join Vegeta on his way outside. 

Mrs. Briefs was slightly pale when Kyrie came into the sitting room with her grandson, but she quickly brightened. "Trunks, dear, do you want a cookie?" The toddler's answering squeal had them all grinning. His child's antics kept them all entertained and completely distracted Kyrie from the true reason for her visit. 

Bulma was tired by the time the meeting was over. She hated the darn things. Just an excuse for a bunch of old farts who did nothing but complain to do so. They didn't know diddly about the workings of Capsule Corp. They were nothing but a bunch of overglorified investors. She looked forward to the day she could buy out the whole lot of them and never have to look at them again… 

The first thing she noticed when she entered the family portion of the huge dome was the silence. Frowning, she headed for the nursery, knowing that Trunks should be there with his newest nanny. She hated having to leave him with a caretaker but she had a multi-billion zenni business to run and it wasn't fair to ask her mother to watch him all the time….

"Oh, shit…" Bulma muttered upon entering the nursery. It looked like Trunks had thrown another of his tantrums. Furniture was shoved over and toys were scattered everywhere. A few were even embedded in the walls. There was no sign of her child or his nurse. She headed for the family room in search of explanations. 

Laughter and childish giggles greeted her as she came down the hallway. Bulma leaned against the doorframe and watched as her son clambered up Kyrie's shoulders, tugging at her short hair. "Up, up!" he squealed, kicking his heels into her shoulders. Grinning, she complied, telekinetically lifting the toddler up toward the ceiling. Suddenly, she cut the lift, holding out her arms and catching the shrieking child. "Do 'gin!!" Then, Trunks spied his mother standing in the doorway. "Mama!!" He scrambled down, running over to his mother for a hug and a kiss.

Bulma smiled and caught her son as he began to clamber up her pants leg. "Hello, Kyrie, Lunch," she said with a wry grin. "I didn't expect to see you today." She planted a kiss on top of Trunks' silky hair and shifted him to her hip.

"I hope we didn't come at a bad time?" Kyrie asked, her fingers pulling nervously at her pants legs. 

Bulma waved her concerns away. "It's always a pain in the ass to deal with the Board," she replied, grimacing. Giving Trunks another hug, she glanced over at her mother. "Did we l-o-s-e another s-i-t-t-e-r, Mom?" 

Mrs. Briefs sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so, dear. She seemed quite upset when she left. I don't think the agency will send anyone else." 

"Well, hell…" Bulma said, frowning. "If he wouldn't throw those tantrums, we wouldn't have any problems." She snorted, trying not to laugh. "But, I guess I can't blame him. He comes by his temper honestly. I'll just have to take him to work with me from now on. He behaves when he's with me." 

Kyrie decided to try something. _Bulma,_ she sent mentally. _I really need to talk to you…_ The aqua haired woman stiffened, her eyes widening, then she nodded slightly. "Mom," Bulma said. "There's something in the lab that I need Kyrie to help me with. Could you watch Trunks for an hour or so?"

Mrs. Briefs smiled brightly. "You know I don't mind watching him, dear. Take as long as you need."

Bulma smiled back. "Thanks, Mom, but you know I don't like to impose on you."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Bulma," Mrs. Briefs said, actually frowning. "It's not an imposition. I love to spend time with my grandson. You and Kyrie go do what you need to do. Lunch, I saw the most adorable bassinet set in a catalogue the other day. Why don't we go and look at it? I just love to look at baby things. Trunks is growing up much too quickly."

Lunch took the hint, smiling and rising to her feet. "That sounds nice, Mrs. Briefs." 

"Come with Grandma, Trunks, sweetie," the blonde crooned, peeling her reluctant grandson off of his mother. "I think I have some more cookies in the kitchen." He let go at the mention of his favorite snack and transferred to his grandmother's arms willingly. The three went into the kitchen, chatting merrily. 

"Now, what was it that you wanted to see me about," Bulma asked, smiling at Kyrie. "I'm pretty sure I know, though. You're as nervous as a cat at a dog show."

Kyrie smiled slightly at the humorous image that brought to mind and nodded. "Yeah," she said, annoyed when her voice trembled. 

"Let's go find my dad, then. He can explain it better than I can."

They found Dr. Briefs in his lab, hunched over a keyboard, his ever present kitten sprawled over his shoulder and a smoking cigarette dangling from beneath his moustache. He was typing furiously and never even so much as glanced up when Bulma and Kyrie entered.   


"Dad." Bulma cleared her throat to get his attention. "Dad!" She tried again a bit louder. "DAD!!" Still no response. Bulma huffed in exasperation. "OH MY GOD!!!" she suddenly shouted, making Kyrie jump. "IT'S AN INTERDIMENSIONAL RIFT!!"

"WHERE!?!" Dr. Briefs turned around so quickly he almost spilled out of his chair in excitement. Bulma fell over laughing, pounding her fist against the wall. Kyrie blinked, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face. "Bulma!" Dr. Briefs said, frowning slightly. "That wasn't very nice."

She straightened up, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "Sorry, Dad, but you weren't listening. I brought—"

"Kyrie!" Dr. Briefs exclaimed, bouncing out of his seat and grabbing her hand. "Wonderful! You're just the person I want to see!!" He pulled her toward the computer. "Just look at this! It's amazing!" Kyrie dutifully looked at the computer screen, but had no idea what she was supposed to be looking at. It was a screen full of nothing but codes. She thought she recognized some of it as genetic sequences, but she wasn't sure. 

"Dad," Bulma said, sounding slightly exasperated. "You need to remember that not everyone thinks in code like you do." 

"Yes, yes," he huffed, waving a hand at her. "Young lady," he said, looking up at Kyrie, "regardless of the circumstances, you have the most uniquely advanced genetic structure I have EVER seen. I don't condone the experimentation that brought you to life. God knows, there were some horror stories in those files." He shook his head and continued. "But the data I've obtained from the files you brought would have taken me years to compile. Some of it I would never have found because the methods used are completely against my morals. I like to sleep well at night, you know." Kyrie couldn't help but to smile. The old man was so unwittingly funny. "But if it makes you feel any better, we," he waved his hand at himself, Bulma and the entire building, "will put this information to good use. The benefits to our medical research alone…" He trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. "But anyway. I wanted to ask for permission to take samples from you. For analysis. I'd like to compare your actual genetic structure against the simulations in the files."

Kyrie blinked, surprised. "I – I thought you had all the data you needed from the files."

"Oh, no, not at all," Dr. Briefs said emphatically. "There are still quite a few files we haven't even gotten into yet. And I'd like to run my own tests, of course. I like to draw my own conclusions."

Kyrie hesitated, torn between the lure of knowledge and the fear of being treated like a disposable lab rat. She chewed on her bottom lip, her mind racing as she tried to consider all of the implications.

"I promise you, dear," Dr. Briefs said suddenly, touching her shoulder lightly. "Nothing will be done without your consent and you'll have full access to all our findings. If you say no at any time, the research will be halted immediately. You're a friend, not an experiment." She swallowed hard against the large lump that suddenly caught in her throat, looking up at the kindly old man standing next to her. How was it that he understood her fears so easily? She glanced over at Bulma, who was nodding in agreement with her father, and made her decision.

"All right," she said, taking a deep breath. "What do I need to do first." Dr. Briefs smiled brightly at her, patting her shoulder again. 

"First off, I want to explain to you what we have so far," he said, turning back to his computer and pulling up several different files. "I'll try not to get too technical but stop me if you don't understand something. I'm happy to explain." She nodded in understanding and Dr. Briefs was off. "Now, I know that Bulma spoke to you about some of what we found." Warm sympathy was in his eyes as she nodded again. "Well, we've found more that may come as a bit of a shock to you." He pulled up a file and pointed to the screen. "When you reached puberty, the massive hormonal changes triggered shifts in your body. Do you remember any of that?" 

Kyrie frowned, trying to think. "I don't, not really. I remember being in pain all the time. They kept me sedated. I was told that I was in a coma for several years actually." She shrugged, keeping her face controlled and impassive. 

Dr. Briefs shook his head, frowning. "They may have kept you sedated at first, but you were placed in cryogenic suspension while they studied you. Your body began to mature at a frightening rate. That's probably why you were in pain. Your body was growing so fast that your frame was outgrowing your skin." He glanced over at her to make sure she understood what he meant. "You went from the physical age of eleven to the physical age of seventeen in only eight months. How old do you think you are?"

Kyrie tried to gather her scattered thoughts to formulate an answer. "T-twenty-three, twenty-four, maybe?" Her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage as she waited for his answer. 

He shook his head. "You're physically eighteen years old. Any doctor examining you would agree. But chronologically… You're thirty-six years old, Kyrie." 

She hit the floor with a thump, eyes wide in disbelief. "That… that can't be… I… I… HOW??"

"They kept you in cryogenic suspension for almost five straight years while they studied your genetic data," Dr. Briefs said, hoping to explain satisfactorily. "They would bring you out for short periods to run you through batteries of tests, then put you back in. That's where most of the time went. They thought at first that you would just keep aging rapidly, going from preadolescent to old age in a short period of time. Some of the doctors were of the opinion that you were going to die. But strangely enough, once you reached physical maturity, the aging process came to an abrupt halt. This is one of the things I want to run tests on. There was never any reason found for the fact that your growth process accelerated, then just as quickly, came to a halt."

Kyrie stared down at the utilitarian cement floor that she was sitting on, trying to make heads or tails of all she had just learned. "So…" she paused for a moment, trying to word what she was thinking. "What you're saying is… I'm not aging like normal humans?"

Dr. Briefs shook his head. "No. In fact, you're barely aging at all. I've run several extrapolations with the limited amount of data I have and it all points to one thing."

"Which is?" Kyrie prompted him when he hesitated. A small thought was making her smile slightly, warming her heart. 

He cleared his throat, surprised by how well she was taking the news. "You're going to have a significantly lengthened life span. Over two hundred years at least." He blinked in surprise when she started laughing. She slapped the floor with her hand as tears of mirth slipped down her cheeks. Bulma glanced over at her father, wondering if they would be able to calm her if she became hysterical. 

Kyrie's laughter tapered off, but she was still grinning. "That's the best news I've heard in a long time, Dr. Briefs," she said, hopping to her feet. She probed her link with Piccolo, wanting to tell him, but he was concentrating fiercely on something. She thought it best not to distract him. It could wait.

Dr. Briefs grinned as well, relieved that she wasn't upset by his preliminary findings. "Well then, if you want, we can get started on those tests?" Kyrie nodded, glancing over at Bulma. 

She shook her head. "I'll hold your hand, and apply bandages when it's all over, but I don't take samples." She shuddered dramatically. 

Dr. Briefs rolled his eyes at his squeamish daughter. "Once we're done with the physical samples, we can make appointment with the kinetics lab for some evaluations on your physical abilities. And of course, I'd dearly love some EEG readings." He grinned in delight. "This is all so exciting. I hardly know where to begin!"


	10. Confession and Noodles

Falling Down Part Ten

A Dragonball Z fanfic 

By Hana Noir

Sheriff Dobson scowled down at the pile of paperwork on his desk. The mysterious deaths had stopped since the last attack, but he still felt uneasy. And the identity of that strange young woman bothered him. He just KNEW he had seen her face somewhere before…

It came to him as he was filing away papers in the file cabinet behind his desk. He scrambled for the box next to his desk where he tossed old bulletins and notices and began to root through it. Just when he thought he had been mistaken, he found it. An all points bulletin and a rap sheet on one "Eve Smith". She had been wanted, at least a year ago, for one count of malicious destruction of government property, one count of terrorist actions, two counts of possession of illegal explosives, one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. 

Dobson sat down in the chair, staring at the picture on the printout. She didn't look all that different than the young woman he had run into three days ago. The main difference was the hairstyle, it was slightly longer now than it was in the picture. Staring down at the paper in his hand, he couldn't help but to wonder what a wanted terrorist was doing in a sleepy little town like Peppercorn. And why she had bothered to help. Could she know why people were dying? Could she be involved? He frowned and placed the papers on his desk where he could look at them again later. None of his questions would matter if she never returned.

He booted his computer and clicked onto the law enforcement mainframe, typing in a request for more information, adding the case number on the rap sheet. He couldn't help but to wonder what he would find. Some answers were preferable to none at all…

*******

Piccolo folded his arms over his chest and concentrated on not losing his temper with the arrogant Saiyajin leaning against a wall of the gravity chamber. Vegeta merely lifted a brow and smirked wider. "So," Piccolo said calmly. "You won't help?"

"Did I stutter?" Vegeta snapped, abandoning his indolent pose. "Did I not make myself clear? I-will-not-help-you!!" Piccolo stared down at him impassively, and the two locked eyes in a silent struggle. They both jumped when the door to the gravity room slid open with a loud thunk. 

Kyrie and Bulma came in, the latter carrying little Trunks. Kyrie's face was blank, revealing nothing, but Bulma's sorrow and disappointment filled her blue eyes. Vegeta's face softened fractionally, then he looked away. 

"What do you two want?" he spat angrily, pushing away from the wall.

Kyrie shook her head, looking faintly annoyed. "I don't want a damn thing from you. I came looking for Piccolo. What makes you think that the world revolves around you?" Vegeta's fists clenched and he took a step toward the arrogant woman. 

Piccolo tensed, ready to intervene if Vegeta attacked. But to his surprise, it was Bulma who stepped forward. She placed a hand on Kyrie's arm and shook her head. "Here," she said softly, her eyes meeting Vegeta's and never straying. "Would you take Trunks back to the house? I need to speak with Vegeta for a moment." 

"Uh… okay," Kyrie replied, taking the toddler from his mother. "Hey, big guy. What's say we go see if your grandma has any of those cookies left?" The child's earsplitting squeal made Piccolo flinch slightly. _Come on,_ she added in a mental aside to Piccolo. _I think they need some time alone._

Kyrie had barely ushered Piccolo out the door and closed it when Bulma let loose. She was angry, frustrated, disappointed and all but heartbroken when she rounded on Vegeta. "What's wrong with you?" she asked him, her small hands balling into fists at her side. The Saiyajin stared across the room, eyes dark and narrowed in anger. "I know we've never had the most communicative relationship in the world, Vegeta, but this isn't like you!"

He winced slightly, uncomfortable with the reminder of how well she knew him. "I have my reasons, woman," he finally said, turning his back. "Don't question me." Bulma was agape at his coolness, but she quickly recovered her wits.

"Vegeta, I was angry when you didn't stop Piccolo when he flipped out, but that was weeks ago. You haven't so much as spoken a word to me that you haven't been forced to," she said, moving a bit closer. "Are you mad at me because I hit you?"

Vegeta snorted at the silly notion. "Feh. Woman, that was a love tap for a Saiyajin. Your puny blows have no effect on me."

Bulma sighed, determined not to be sidetracked. "But nonetheless, something's wrong with you. I've never known you to back away from a fight of any kind."

That struck home. Vegeta's head came up and he glared at Bulma. "Are you calling me a coward??" he growled, baring his teeth at her.

She shook her head, ignoring his temper. "You said it, not me. Is there something you're scared of?"

"Don't be foolish!" Vegeta began pacing in an effort to release the nervous tension building in his body. "If you ever even dare to suggest—" He broke off when she stepped in front of him and placed a finger on his lips. He froze at the gentle touch that he had missed for so many days, staring in astonishment at the fragile human woman standing before him. The sadness in her eyes was almost enough to make him break down. Almost…

Pride stiffened his spine and he shook his head, moving away from her. Bulma was nothing if not persistent however and she pursued with all the relentless patience of a hunter stalking prey. "Vegeta, tell me," she ordered softly. "Please?"

He growled in frustration and ran a hand through his hair, making the stiff mane even wilder. "Woman…" He inhaled raggedly as she embraced him from behind, pressing her face against the hollow between his shoulderblades and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Why can't you just let it be?"

"Because," she said matter of factly, "I can see how disturbed this makes you. I don't like seeing you unhappy." He snorted slightly at her typically human response, even as he was unwillingly warmed by her concern. 

"Fine…" he growled, knowing that she wouldn't leave him alone until she got answers. "I… am uncomfortable with the idea of fighting a powerful esper." He paused, gauging her reaction. "Frieza… enjoyed using espers on his captives, both as a means of torture as well as to extract information. He liked watching their minds being broken, hearing them scream as every detail of their life was extracted, unwillingly, from them. I… disobeyed him once, when I was little more than a child. He delivered me to his personal inquisitor, and instructed him to 'be gentle'." Vegeta snorted, his lips curling up in a sneer. "Most espers went insane after a few months in Frieza's service. Those who didn't were the most sadistic, evil, unfeeling creatures that could possibly exist. They learned to enjoy the pain they inflicted. I was little better than a vegetable by the time I was released. It took almost a year for me to recover."

Bulma's eyes were closed tightly, tears straining against her eyelids at the cool, matter-of-fact tone that Vegeta used when he described something so horrid that she couldn't even imagine it. Her throat ached as she tried to keep her emotions from showing. Vegeta pulled away from her embrace, putting a bit of distance between them. He wasn't a physically demonstrative person at the best of times, and being touched, however well meaning, while he was baring a very painful corner of his soul was more than he could bear. 

"Vegeta…" Bulma said softly, wrapping her arms around herself, "I wish I could say that I understand, but I can't. I have no idea what it would be like to be violated like that…" She shook her head slowly, eyes on the metal floor beneath her feet. "I just… wish there was something I could do to make it all go away…"

"No one can do that," he snapped, his voice rough. "It's just one more thing I live with." 

She couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't care if he pushed her away or not, but she had to touch him. His eyes widened slightly as she stepped into him, her arms encircling his waist and her head coming to rest just beneath his chin. "Bulma…"

"Don't push me away," she whispered, tightening her arms around him. "Just this once, let me hold you…"

********

Kyrie let out a relieved sigh as the door of the gravity room slid shut behind them. Bulma and Vegeta had to be two of the most intense people she had ever met. The mental atmosphere practically sizzled when the two of them were together. Trunks tugged at her hand and she let the toddler pull her faster. 

"I's hungwy," he said upon reaching the back door. Kyrie grinned and pushed the door open, letting him into the kitchen. The large room was empty and silent. 

"Mrs. Briefs?" Kyrie called for the older woman, poking her head into the family room only to find it empty as well. There was a piece of paper laying in the middle of the table and Kyrie glanced at it. Then she did a double take, picking it up and reading over it.

__

Bulma, 

Lunch and I have run into town to get something for dinner. Invite your friends to stay, there'll be plenty. 

Love, Mom

Kyrie looked at the note with no small amount of consternation. Then she looked down at Trunks. "Guess we're stuck with you for now, kiddo," she said with a grin. 

He merely stared up at her, a thumb hooked in the corner of his mouth. "I's hungwy," he repeated. "Wan' nood's."

"What's 'nood's'?" Kyrie asked, glancing over at Piccolo. He glared at her and shook his head, unwilling to participate in a round of "guess the word". "Can you show me what you want?" Trunks nodded, heading for the huge pantry room on the side of the kitchen. Kyrie clicked on the light as they entered, blinking at the sight of row upon row of non-perishable food items. 

"Wan' nood's," he said again pointing at a box up on a shelf above his head. Kyrie stepped up and looked at the box. Inside were packages of Raman noodles, dozens of them, in various flavors. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Noodles! This is what you want?" The toddler nodded vigorously, smiling up at her. "Okay. These, I can handle cooking." She grabbed a couple of packages and headed back into the kitchen. Piccolo had taken up position on the wall next to the door, arms crossed over his chest.

Kyrie spent several minutes looking through the counters for a bowl and then several more minutes trying to figure out how to operate the high tech microwave on the counter. "Okay," she said once the bowl was heating. "It'll be just a few minutes. Where's your chair?" She turned around to see Trunks, a determined look on his little face, climbing up into one of the chairs next to the table. "Well, you've got this down pat, don't you?" 

Soon she had him settled at the table, a bowl of noodles in front of him. Trunks slurped happily, cramming fistfuls of noodles into his mouth, the small fork in his bowl completely ignored. He made short work of the bowl and demanded more. Kyrie watched, amused, as he ate his way through three packages of Raman. By the time he reached the last of the third package, his appetite had been satisfied and he was playing with the last few bites. His eyes were drooping sleepily, but he made every effort to resist.

"I think you're about done, huh, big boy?" she asked, getting up from the table and going to the sink for a wet cloth to clean him up. Noodles were all over his hands, his face, the tabletop, the chair and the surrounding floor, with only a tiny bit left in the bowl. She was reaching to turn on the water when a high pitched squeal made her turn and look.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. She saw Trunks scoop up the last handful of the noodles, grinning. He tossed them in the air, the individual pieces of noodles separating and glinting moistly. Piccolo's eyes widened as he saw the food coming right at him., but he failed to move. The noodles impacted with a wet 'splat', some sticking to his skin, others sliding down to adhere to his tunic. One long, wavy strand hung from his left antenna like some sort of bizarre streamer. Other little tendrils clung to his cheeks, and one last piece was tucked behind his ear like an odd strand of hair. His eyes crossed as he stared at the noodle waving from his antenna.

Kyrie choked, then snorted, which build to a snicker. He glared at her in offense and she burst out laughing, grabbing at the counter to keep from falling over. "Oh, oh, why's there (snicker) never a camera around when I need one?" she managed to gasp out. 

Piccolo's face was impassive as he plucked the food particles from his face and person. "Thanks, kid. Thanks heaps," he growled, giving Trunks a dirty look. The half-saiyajin toddler merely laughed and grinned toothily. 

"Don't be mean to the kid," Kyrie said, still laughing as she tossed him the wet cloth she had just readied. "He's just playing." She got another one and cleaned up the child, scrubbing at his clothes the best she could. "Guess I should get you some clean clothes, but I have no idea where your room is, kid." Trunks yawned, not in the least concerned by dirty clothes and held his arms up to be picked up. She obliged and he rested his head on her shoulder, wrapping his legs around her waist. 

Piccolo finished wiping off the disgustingly clammy bits of noodles and watched as Kyrie carried the drowsy child into the living room. They settled down in the well padded rocking chair and he had an odd feeling of… C_ontentment?_ he thought, watching as she rocked the child to sleep. _Is that what this warm, comfortable feeling is? _He had no use for children most of the time, but he had to admit, watching Kyrie with the child, made him feel almost sentimental. _Bah,_ he thought, shaking off the moment. _I'm getting soft. We're_ _going to leave in the morning, start hunting down the Kurukon. The last thing I need is to get sloppy._ He crossed his arms over his chest again, letting his eyes slide shut. Meditation would balance his mental state.


End file.
